91仓库member estimates that more than 40 lorry loads of rubbish were dumped on his arable farm on the outskirts of St Albans over the course of three nights and is worried about the financial and environmental impact.
With farmers and landowners often legally responsible for removing rubbish, despite being the victim of the crime, the farmer, who wants to remain anonymous, estimates he could be faced with a bill of more than 拢40,000 and has concerns for wildlife on his farm following the incident.
He said: 鈥淚t is just devastating. This is not covered by insurance and there is just no way that I am going to be able to pay this 鈥� I don鈥檛 know what I am going to do.
鈥淭here is a week鈥檚 work here to clear it all as well. I have fly-tipping here every week, but I鈥檝e never had it on this scale. 聽
鈥淔arming is hard enough at the moment, and I know many other farmers in Hertfordshire who have had industrial scale fly-tips on their land. The situation is getting worse and it disrupts our ability to produce food and care for the countryside.鈥�
Asbestos, cannabis waste, timber and office furniture are among the items left on the farm.
The rubbish has ruined an area of land that had been set aside to provide food for farmland birds and improve their numbers, through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, the government鈥檚 flagship support scheme for nature and environmentally friendly farming.
Hertfordshire farmers have been plagued by fly-tipping for many years, with organised criminal gangs dumping industrial scale tips on farms on a regular basis.聽
91仓库is calling for an urgent meeting with the leaders of all of Hertfordshire鈥檚 district councils.
91仓库is also working closely with Hertfordshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and Environment Agency and is applying for funding for the farmer through the PCC鈥檚 Fly-tipping Fund, which is used to help victims of the crime.聽
In addition, the NFU has written to St Albans MP and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper to raise awareness of the recent incident.
NFU County Adviser for Hertfordshire Josh Redford said: 鈥淭his is another shocking incident of fly-tipping, which is becoming all too common in Hertfordshire.聽
鈥�91仓库is taking a very proactive approach to address this and is working closely with local authorities and stakeholders.
鈥淲e are calling for an urgent meeting with all district council leaders in Hertfordshire as the next step and we are determined to fight for our members and ensure the people responsible are brought to justice, at the same time deterring others from carrying out this serious and damaging crime.鈥�
NFU member Will Dickinson, who runs a neighbouring arable farm, has been hit by fly-tipping himself on countless occasions and is supporting the farmer dealing with this incident.
He said: 鈥淔ly-tipping in Hertfordshire is completely out of control. The local authorities are doing their best, but they need to be better resourced.聽
鈥淲e need to see more arrests and convictions and the full extent of the law used to properly punish the people who do this. When they are caught the fly-tippers are often given a fine which is less than the cost of a skip.聽
鈥淭he farmers, who are the victims of the crime, are left to pay thousands of pounds clearing the waste, which is completely unfair and a travesty of justice.
鈥淭his has far-reaching consequences and is a blight on our countryside.鈥�
Hertfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: 鈥淔ly-tipping on this scale is a disgrace. It has a huge impact on our countryside and can be financially devastating for victims.
鈥淲hile local councils have the lead responsibility for the investigation and prosecution of fly-tippers, the police will support councils and the Environment Agency with intelligence capabilities, and this collaborative approach is essential.
鈥淔ly-tips of this magnitude are often linked to organised crime gangs, who profit significantly from these illegal activities. I fully support the maximum possible sentences being imposed on offenders when they are brought before the courts.
鈥淭o support the clean-up of this site and help prevent future incidents, I am exploring whether this incident is eligible for support through the Fly-Tipping Fund operated by my office."