The Government is right about one thing: illegal waste dumping in Britain is no longer simply an environmental nuisance.

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It is organised crime, and it needs to be treated as such.

The Prime Minister’s announcement of a new crackdown on the criminal gangs behind illegal waste sites is welcome. Greater involvement from the police and National Crime Agency, more Environment Agency officers, better intelligence sharing and tougher action to seize criminal assets are all steps in the right direction, but they do not go far enough.

If we are serious about dismantling the criminal networks making millions from waste, we need to stop thinking about this primarily as a problem of people dumping rubbish and start treating it as a sophisticated criminal economy.

Criminal operators can make huge sums by collecting waste, charging for its legitimate disposal and then dumping it illegally. They exploit gaps in licensing, tracking and enforcement, pocketing the difference and leaving communities and taxpayers to deal with the consequences.

At the same time, they undercut responsible waste businesses that spend substantial amounts of money employing trained staff, meeting........

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