Joint operation clamps down on transportation of waste

Enforcement action was taken against nearly 30 motorists during two days of a joint operation clamping down on the transportation of waste into and around Canterbury and Swale districts.

Environmental Crime Officers from Canterbury City Council and Swale Borough Council teamed up with Kent Police, the Environment Agency, DVSA and HMRC for the initiative, with operations set up at the DVSA weighbridge site off the A2 at Boughton on Tuesday 9 September and Kingsmead Coach Park in Canterbury the following day.

The teams were targeting commercial vehicles transporting any waste coming into Canterbury and those transporting waste around the two districts.

The main aims were to check vehicles were conforming with government legislation and that they were roadworthy.

A total of 60 vehicles were stopped and inspected over the two days, resulting in 28 enforcement actions taken to ensure the vehicles and the drivers corrected any identified faults, including further investigations and a potential prosecution for one overloaded vehicle.

In addition, 43 drivers were served with notices requiring that they or their companies provide waste transfer notes and/or copies of their waste carrier licences showing where the waste had been collected and its destination.

Failure to comply with the officers’ requests could lead to them either being issued with fixed penalty notices or prosecuted for failure to comply with the notices.

Two vehicles were seized by Kent Police’s Rural Task Force, with one of the vehicles being investigated further for waste related offences by Environmental Crime Officers from Swale Borough Council.

Canterbury’s Cabinet member for enforcement, Cllr Connie Nolan, said: “These were two days of highly visible and proactive enforcement operations, organised by our officers and working closely with our partners to make sure it had the greatest impact possible.

“The transportation of waste can be a lucrative business but there are too many unscrupulous traders who do not follow the rules, which has an impact on legitimate businesses whose owners are licensed and have the correct paperwork to show they are acting responsibly.

“Taking action against 28 individuals was a fantastic result. I thank everyone involved for their hard work in making this operation such a success.”

Inspector Tom Mepstead of Kent Police’s Rural Task Force said: “We often find that people who are responsible for waste crime also commit other offences such as driving without insurance or in vehicles that pose a risk to other road-users.

“We are therefore grateful for the opportunity to work with our partners to help clamp down on this type of behaviour, in order to both protect the beautiful environment of our county as well as everyone who lives, works and visits here.”

Chair of Swale Borough Council’s Environmental Services and Climate Change Committee, Cllr Dolley Wooster, said: “While this operation acts as a deterrent for people who mismanage waste, we still need residents’ support to bring a stop to flytipping.

“Please report any flytipping you witness to your local council and remember – if any flytipped waste is tracked back to you, you can also face a fine.

“You need to make sure you are disposing of your waste responsibly and checking any waste carriers you use have the correct documentation. This makes sure the waste ends up where it is meant to, and not our country lanes.”

You can report flytipping in Canterbury district on the city council’s website.

To report flytipping in Swale, go to Swale Borough Council’s website.

Published: 16 September 2025