A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with illegal waste sites in Peterlee and Hartlepool, County Durham.
The man is now being questioned as the investigation into illegal waste dumping in the North East continues.
The 32-year-old was arrested at an address in Sunderland as part of a joint operation between Northumbria Police and the Environment Agency.
The arrest forms part of a wider investigation into three separate sites in Peterlee and Hartlepool and a third near Newcastle Airport at Callerton in Newcastle.
The Environment Agency says that together the dumps amount to almost 3,500 tonnes of waste.
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle called the arrest a ‘vital step in delivering justice for communities’ across the North East.
“We said the years of organised criminal gangs getting away with dumping waste were over, and today’s arrest shows we are delivering on that promise,” Eagle continued.
“Through our crackdown, we are stopping the cycle of waste crime and putting more officers on the frontline to restore pride in our communities. We will bring waste criminals to justice.”
The three sites, which all contain shredded household waste, were reported to the Environment Agency over the summer.
Investigating officers have carried out searches at the sites, gathering evidence to help trace those responsible for each of them.
Mark Rumble, Environmental Crime Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said: “Illegal waste sites are a blight on our communities and residents should not have to live next to eyesores and put up with the smells.”
