Drones armed with lasers to tackle illegal rubbish dumps

More than 30 "drone squads" equipped with laser mapping technology are being deployed by the Environment Agency (EA) to tackle the increasing number of illegal waste dumps across the country.

The EA is facing mounting criticism over its ability to catch gangs behind the sites - which see criminals avoid millions of pounds in landfill tax.

Despite new measures announced today, environmental organisations say technology alone won't fix the issue.

It comes after Sky News obtained photos of tonnes of rubbish being dumped at a site in Epping, Essex, just two weeks ago - despite an EA investigation beginning 12 months earlier.

The site near Epping was blockaded by the EA on Wednesday following the arrests of two men at the site, who were spotted by a member of the public when their lorry got stuck in mud.

The EA has revealed the deployment of new so-called "drone squads" with 33 trained pilots and drones equipped with laser technology to create detailed maps of suspected illegal waste sites.

New software is also being rolled out to check whether waste lorries carrying waste have the correct permits.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds insists the government is "aggressively" pursuing waste criminals and bringing them to justice, with the EA's enforcement budget boosted to £15.6m.

But meanwhile, the number of large-scale illegal waste sites is continuing to grow, with many critical over how long it takes authorities to react.

'Tech alone won't fix this'

Chief executive of River Action, James Wallace, welcomed the measures, but argues they do not go far enough.

"Technology alone won't fix this," he said. "The EA remains chronically underfunded and understaffed, with too few officers to identify offenders and prosecute polluters under existing laws."

"Ministers have known for years about large-scale illegal dumping, including sites run by organised criminal gangs, yet enforcement has failed to keep pace," he added.

'Something has gone badly wrong'

Last Sunday, the local MP covering the Epping site, Alex Burghart, was critical of the EA's handling of the dump, telling Sky News the agency has "very serious questions to answer" as to why action wasn't taken earlier.

"It's completely disgraceful that this site should ever have been allowed to get into this condition," the senior Tory said.

"Something has clearly gone badly wrong in this case."

Read more:
What it's like to live next to a 25,000-tonne illegal dump
'Prolific waste criminal' ordered to pay £1.4m

The EA has also announced an increase in the size of the multi-agency body the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) from 13 to 20 specialists.

The taskforce is made up of police, the National Crime Agency and various environmental bodies.

Its head, Phil Davies, said: "Illegal waste dumping is appalling, and we are determined to turn the tide on this heinous crime.

"With organised criminals becoming ever more sophisticated, we are adopting new technologies to find and, importantly, stop them.

"Through the greater use of drones, stronger partnerships and more officers on the ground, we will build on our action so far and send a clear message to those committing waste crimes - we will stop you."

(c) Sky News 2026: Drones armed with lasers to tackle illegal rubbish dumps