Over 30 specialized drone teams using laser mapping technology are being sent out by the Environment Agency (EA) to deal with growing problem of illegal waste dumps nationwide.
This new aerial monitoring program is designed to strengthen efforts to identify and take legal action against people who commit environmental crimes.
The EA confirmed that it has successfully created special drone squad made up of 33 trained pilots whose job is to collect major evidence of illegal waste dumps so that those responsible can be successfully prosecuted, as per Sky News.
In addition to this, the environmental watchdog has developed sophisticated new screening tool to tackle the issue which allows officers to compare lorry licence applications with existing waste permit records which will help them spot suspicious activity more effectively.
Phil Davies, head of the Joint Unit for Waste Crime Unit, said, “Illegal waste dumping is appalling, and we are determined to turn the tide on this heinous crime.
This comes after Sky News revealed images showing tons of waste illegally dumped at a site in Epping, Essex even though the EA had begun investigating the location 12 months ago.
Although new steps have been announced, environmental groups believed that simply using advanced technology will not fully solve the problem.
Chief executive of River Action, James Wallace said in a statement, noting, "Technology alone won't fix this. The EA remains chronically underfunded and understaffed, with too few officers to identify offenders and prosecute polluters under existing laws."
The taskforce consist of police, the National Crime Agency and several environmental bodies.
