0:00:02 > 0:00:06Welcome to the fight to clean up our streets and make Britain as great as it used to be.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10We've got some beautiful parks, gardens and open spaces
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and it shouldn't be blighted by people who fail to collect their mess.
0:00:14 > 0:00:20Every 30 seconds, someone, somewhere in the UK, illegally dumps rubbish.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24From bags of dog mess to mountains of rubble, it's wrecking the streets where we live.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29On today's programme, can enviro enforcers catch the individuals
0:00:29 > 0:00:34responsible for an outrageous fly-tipping spree?
0:00:34 > 0:00:40It had the longest sentence for an environmental crime, still, in this country's history.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Liverpool Council gets tough on irresponsible dog owners...
0:00:43 > 0:00:48Mate. Mate. Do us a favour, fella, just stay there for us, OK?
0:00:48 > 0:00:53..and a London borough is plagued with serial fly-tipping.'
0:00:53 > 0:00:55It's amazing, some of the stuff you see here.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59You could create a whole profile for yourself, with false name, identity.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03This is the fight against Britain's Filthy Rotten Scoundrels.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23There are many things that get us British angry,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27but there's one enviro crime that's guaranteed to get our backs up,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31especially if we find it on the bottom of our shoes.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35I stick to this path, it's a little triangle of path,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38because I don't know what I'm going to walk in.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41You see them in the park and they know their dogs are fouling,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43they're standing by them, and they walk away.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46And you end up standing in it, or your dog does.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52I think it's terrible, because there's no need to let your dog do his business wherever he wants.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57In Liverpool, the city council have had enough of this menace.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01A crack squad are on the case of irresponsible dog owners.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Enviro enforcers Sean Tully and Samik Nureyev start work at 6am
0:02:05 > 0:02:08to catch the culprits in the act.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13At the moment, we're en route to a location at the north end of the city.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16It's an area of high depravation,
0:02:16 > 0:02:22where we have quite a lot of problems with environmental crime.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Our four-legged friends produce over 1,000 tons of poo each day.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30With residents' complaints hitting an all-time high,
0:02:30 > 0:02:36Liverpool set up its Blitz Team in 2007, to deliver on-the-spot fixed-penalty notices
0:02:36 > 0:02:42and a fine of £50 for enviro crimes like dog fouling and littering.
0:02:42 > 0:02:49Liverpool City Council issue more tickets than any other local authority in the country.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53We're quite hot on the dog-fouling war.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Their first port of call is Anfield Cemetery because, believe it or not,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01not even a graveyard is sacred to some dog owners.
0:03:01 > 0:03:06To allow your dog to be unleashed in a public cemetery
0:03:06 > 0:03:11and then to allow your dog to, first of all, walk across graves,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14and second, to allow them to faeces on them
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and not collect it, it's appalling. It's disgusting.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20Our intrepid investigators quietly park up
0:03:20 > 0:03:24and keep the early morning dog-walkers under covert surveillance.'
0:03:26 > 0:03:29This gentleman here. Look at his dog.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33The dog appears, at the moment, to be fouling.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38The dog is fouling at the moment. The gentleman has a bag in his hand.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44We'll just see whether or not he appears to have anything in the bag.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46We'll give him the opportunity to walk away
0:03:46 > 0:03:53and then we'll go over and have a look to see if we can see any fresh dog foul and we can link that to him.
0:03:55 > 0:04:02A few minutes later and it's time for the guys to check whether Fido's deposit is in the bag.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06- You all right?- Yeah. - We're enforcement officers from Liverpool City Council.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11We just watched you and you came in, your dog's fouled and you've collected it
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and you've got one of the green waste bags provided by the council.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18What a great way to start the day -
0:04:18 > 0:04:23someone who's doing the right thing with their dog mess and not letting it make a mess of Liverpool.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29There may not be many people who want to do Sean's job,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34but he feels strongly about the nuisance that dog fouling causes to us all.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38I'm a fan of the open green spaces we have in this city.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41We've got some beautiful parks, gardens and open spaces
0:04:41 > 0:04:46and I like to get out there and enjoy them and I don't believe it should be blighted
0:04:46 > 0:04:48by people who are failing to collect their mess.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52As they leave the cemetery, en route to the next surveillance spot,
0:04:52 > 0:04:59Sean is musing on the temptations the small minority of irresponsible dog owners sometimes succumb to.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04The general consensus is that they know it should be picked up, they know it's an offence,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07but they'll have the bag with them, they'll have a look round
0:05:07 > 0:05:12and think, "There's no-one here, I'll get away with it, I normally do it", but there's no excuse.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Not only is it not nice, it's positively dangerous.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20If you come in to close contact with infected animal faeces,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24you could contract toxocariasis, a rare, but dangerous, disease
0:05:24 > 0:05:27that can cause permanent blindness in extreme cases.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35Sean and Samik arrive at a park notorious for its dog fouling
0:05:35 > 0:05:40and, sure enough, it doesn't take long before they've spotted a filthy rotten culprit in the act.
0:05:40 > 0:05:47We've just witnessed a dog fouling just on the piece of land behind us.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51So what we're going to do is, we're just going to drive around the block
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and give the gentleman a couple of minutes to collect the foul.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00This dog just here to our left has also fouled and the owners are completely oblivious.
0:06:00 > 0:06:07He's walking past the dog. So we'll go and engage with this male now, then go and speak to the other male.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12Sean catches the first culprit's owner red-handed and reads him the riot act.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- Just a quick word. Do you speak English?- A little.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21A little bit. Basically, your dog, when you came out of that house,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24just across the way on the grass, your dog has fouled.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29The dog has pooed on the grass and you've walked away and you failed to see your dog pooing,
0:06:29 > 0:06:35which is an offence under section three of the Dogs Fouling Of Land Act 1996. OK?
0:06:35 > 0:06:40What I'm required to do is take some details from you to report you for that offence.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44My girlfriend walk to school...
0:06:44 > 0:06:50The dog man's excuse that he's just walking the dog for his girlfriend cuts no ice with Sean.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54You're the one who's in charge of the dog, so you're liable for that dog.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58You should've been observing the dog to see if it did foul.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00I'm required to take some details from you, OK?
0:07:00 > 0:07:06He may be man's best friend, but this dog has just cost his walker a £50 fine.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Meanwhile, Samik has stopped the other man
0:07:09 > 0:07:15the eagle-eyed doggy-doo enforcer spotted, but he's not being so co-operative.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18Mate. Mate.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Do us a favour, fella, just stay there for us, OK? Don't go walking off on us.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26My colleague's trying to speak to you. Just give us a minute.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31- Has my colleague advised you what you've been stopped for?- Yeah. I didn't notice the dog have a- BLEEP.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35We've stopped you because your dog's fouled on the grass.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Just give me a second. Your dog's fouled and you've failed to notice it.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43As a responsible dog owner, it's your responsibility to watch your dog at all times.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46If you've not seen him, ignorance is not an excuse.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Despite the dog owner's protesting, Sean takes down his details
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and he can expect a fixed-penalty fine through the post.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58But the owner's not letting this sleeping dog lie.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- I don't believe the dog's had a- BLEEP.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04It's not our job to go out and manufacture these stories and try and create issues.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07All right, cheers, sir. Take care. Bye now.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12Obviously, the gentleman there is not happy with the fact that we've stopped him.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16He's saying he didn't see the dog fouling. That's not an excuse.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20We were both witness to the dog fouling, we watched the dog foul.
0:08:20 > 0:08:27He's failed to do so, so unfortunately he's been caught and will be fined.
0:08:27 > 0:08:32It's been a good morning's work for enviro enforcers Sean and Samik.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34But with one in four UK families owning a dog,
0:08:34 > 0:08:40there will almost certainly be more battles fought in Liverpool City Council's war against dog fouling.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49'The Environment Agency has been called in
0:08:49 > 0:08:53to investigate a multi-million pound fly-tipping operation.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55It appears two men are responsible for dumping
0:08:55 > 0:08:5914,500 tonnes of waste on private land.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Illegal waste was his game.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05If you can get rid of the excavation waste and demolition waste
0:09:05 > 0:09:08for as little money as possible, you make a great deal of money.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11But will they be able to catch these criminals
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and have them sent to jail?
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Dog poo is not the only unsavoury thing that councils find themselves clearing up.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26If you walk along the streets of Brent in North London,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30you're more than likely to see red stains on the pavements and walls.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It might look like paint, or even dried blood,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36but this mess is the result of people chewing and spitting out paan,
0:09:36 > 0:09:42a traditional Asian activity, not unlike the Western habit of chewing gum.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48It's a massive issue that neighbourhood coordinator Richard Hayes has to deal with.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52What we have here is a traditional paan,
0:09:52 > 0:09:57which is the green beetle leaf
0:09:57 > 0:10:04which has then had the slaked lime and calcium added to it,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07various herbs and spices and the tobacco, as well.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12And this is something that will be folded into a triangle
0:10:12 > 0:10:16and then placed in the mouth and chewed.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19The tobacco in it means that it can't be swallowed.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It has to be spat out onto the street.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And it's the tobacco, combined with something called areca nut,
0:10:25 > 0:10:30which when spat, causes the red stains on the pavements
0:10:30 > 0:10:36and makes them very difficult to remove. It's costing the taxpayer here about £20,000 a year to clean.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Paan spitting has become such an issue in the borough
0:10:40 > 0:10:42that in December 2009,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46500 people, including community leaders, police officers,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49health experts and business owners, attended a conference
0:10:49 > 0:10:53to work out how best to resolve the problem.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57And that's not surprising, because this mess isn't only an eyesore,
0:10:57 > 0:11:02it's costing the council and therefore the taxpayers in Brent a fortune to clear it up.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And even then, it doesn't always come off perfectly,
0:11:05 > 0:11:10'something that enviro enforcer Simon Finney from Brent Council knows only too well.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Marble is quite a porous surface,
0:11:12 > 0:11:18so the red element penetrates quite deeply into the marble.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23It's very difficult to remove. We've got quite a lot of heat coming out of that gun,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25about 160 degrees Celsius,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28as well as about four bar of pressure.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32That replaces the requirement for the use of chemicals.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Chewing paan is considered by some to be a palate-cleanser, as well as a breath freshener
0:11:37 > 0:11:40and its use dates back hundreds of years.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44It's clear to see where and how people use is nowadays, though.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48What we see typically is, once people have purchased their paan,
0:11:48 > 0:11:53they want to consume it fairly quickly, so the staining gets progressively worse
0:11:53 > 0:11:58as we walk away from the shop. Along the pavements, typical staining.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02When we get to the street furniture, classic example here, the telephone box,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06a particularly nasty stain, where somebody's decided to spit up against it.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10This isn't just something that the council doesn't like the look of.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Local businesses have had enough of it, too.
0:12:13 > 0:12:20They're pretty much spitting outside my shop and making the High Street look ugly and it is really bad.
0:12:20 > 0:12:27I think it's disgusting because it discolours the High Street. As it builds up,
0:12:27 > 0:12:32it forms a moss on the pavement and it's not washed by the rain.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37So it's permanently on the ground, it is filthy and it is unhygienic.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39There is no reason. They should be found.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44And the more you look, the more you'll find.
0:12:45 > 0:12:52This progresses right along the High Road. Indiscriminate staining.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55We'll get to a tree and, typically, around the base of it,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59somebody will have spat all up against the stump of the tree.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03And where they're a bit more visible, there'll be a little less spitting,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07because they want to do it as surreptitiously as they can.
0:13:07 > 0:13:14So plotting their movements around Wembley isn't particularly difficult, if you just follow the paan trails.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18The council has decided to deal with the problem in two stages.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25So the first thing is to make people aware. One of the things we've got here is one of our banners,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29which makes it fairly obvious that we mean business.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34And we give people a clear indicator, we say, "You could be fined £80."
0:13:34 > 0:13:38So if people are hit in their pockets with a fine, we think that will have an impact on
0:13:38 > 0:13:41whether they choose to spit or not.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Spitting paan is an issue right across the UK
0:13:44 > 0:13:48and councils are now taking action against the people who do it.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52So, if you're thinking of spitting paan onto a street like this, think again,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54or you could be facing an £80 fine.
0:13:58 > 0:14:03If you don't dispose of your rubbish properly in the London borough of Enfield,
0:14:03 > 0:14:07there's a man who's likely to come knocking on your door...
0:14:07 > 0:14:09enviro enforcer, Jeff Elliott.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16I don't understand why people see rubbish and want to throw it on top. Why not do the responsible thing?
0:14:16 > 0:14:22But you get someone like me who'll come along and we'll give them some bad news.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28Every day, Jeff's hot on the heels of people who are illegally dumping rubbish on his patch.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32One of his big bugbears is when there's been a fly-tip and then people think it's OK
0:14:32 > 0:14:37to chuck their own rubbish on top. It's something that infuriates local residents.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41That rubbish down there has been added to.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And that's what they do, they keep adding to it.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48That's why it doesn't stop... Fed up with it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53Today, Jeff's been called out to a fly-tip in an alley
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and he's already alerted the clean-up team to meet him there.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Here's my fly-tip crew now. Look.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Let's have a chat with them.
0:15:05 > 0:15:10Jeff's seen this kind of household dumping more times than you've had hot dinners
0:15:10 > 0:15:14and he has a theory about why it accumulates so quickly.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18It's the perfect case of "rubbish attracts rubbish."
0:15:19 > 0:15:23In my opinion, what's happened here is, the bed, the mattresses,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27that was probably done as a job lot, one of the flats has had a clear-out or something.
0:15:27 > 0:15:33What happens is, residents see all this rubbish, walk along with their black sack and think,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37"I'll put it over there with the rest of the rubbish. It'll be collected next week."
0:15:37 > 0:15:40This is an example of what Jeff calls "bagging out" -
0:15:40 > 0:15:44people dumping rubbish on other rubbish near their homes.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48It's illegal and all it does is create more mess around the area.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51It's something that he always investigates.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54If we find any evidence in these black sacks,
0:15:54 > 0:16:00what I'd be inclined to do, if it's local residents, is to serve Section 46 notices,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04because the chances are they're sacked there, they haven't been fly-tipped.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08A Section 46 notice is a written warning given to residents
0:16:08 > 0:16:11who don't dispose of their waste properly.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13If they carry on doing it, they'll get a fine.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18It's down to Enfield's bin man, Paul McDay, to clear up the filthy, rotten scoundrels' mess.'
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Some of the things I find are quite unusual,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27like toilet pans full up, things like that.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Not very nice stuff. Soiled mattresses, that sort of stuff.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35But the amount of it is just unbelievable.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Unfortunately, some people just seem to think it's normal.
0:16:39 > 0:16:45I can only presume that they've been brought up to think that's actually OK to do that.
0:16:45 > 0:16:50That rubbish down there has been added to. Somebody just put two chairs down there.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53I overlook some of this rubbish.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58From the kitchen window, you can see all this old rubbish that they keep putting out.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But they don't see it because they've got the garages in the way.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06But I see it and I get browned off with it. Really fed up.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13This fly-tip is now under control, but Jeff's been called out to another one just a few streets away,
0:17:13 > 0:17:19at the back of a block of flats. It's a mess, but Jeff has an obvious solution to the problem.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24We'll arrange for more bins to go in, so they can put their stuff in them, and once we've done that,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29we can serve Section 46 notices on residents, because there's no excuse then to leave their waste like this.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It looks horrible here when you come in.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34I get visitors coming here
0:17:34 > 0:17:39and when they come here, they see all this rubbish.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44And it's not just the unsightly nature of the rubbish that's a worry.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49If left, this will cause a vermin public health issue.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54We've started getting rats. You can see already, on the sides of these bags...
0:17:54 > 0:17:58And if left, we're going to have them running all over the place.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Enviro enforcer Jeff has picked up another urgent case.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Can he find a lead that will enable him to bring someone to justice?
0:18:10 > 0:18:14This is a property of multiple occupancy,
0:18:14 > 0:18:19so I'm not too sure which person I need to bring in, maybe all of them.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Could there be more to this case than initially meets the eye?
0:18:23 > 0:18:26I'm sure my council tax team would like to know
0:18:26 > 0:18:29all these different people living here.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36In 2004, a chance sighting led to one of the biggest investigations
0:18:36 > 0:18:41the Environment Agency has ever conducted into illegal fly-tipping.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45What they discovered was so shocking, it resulted in the longest prison sentences
0:18:45 > 0:18:49for environmental crime in Britain to date.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Enviro enforcer Owen Bolton led the enquiry.
0:18:53 > 0:18:59In May 2004, a team leader returning from work
0:18:59 > 0:19:02saw some tipping going on and reported it.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07That landed in my lap on the following day, so I went out to have a look.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12With no idea of the scale of the operation he was about to uncover,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Owen staked out the derelict land himself.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Parked up in his car where he couldn't be spotted,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21he was gobsmacked at what he saw.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24This was fly-tipping on an industrial scale.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Lorries full to the brim with construction and demolition waste
0:19:27 > 0:19:32were illegally dumping their loads on land they definitely had no permission to be on.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38I thought, this is a bit bigger than your normal tipping,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42because I could see mud on the road, broken-down fences
0:19:42 > 0:19:46and also, the way they turned up, there was a man to receive them.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50I thought, this is a bit bigger than your normal tipping.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Alarm bells started to ring for Owen,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55so he poked around in some old investigations.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59What he discovered sent a tingle down his spine.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04From this site, I recognised some of the activities going on
0:20:04 > 0:20:11and linked it with another site that I'd been looking at back in February of that year, again in Thurrock.
0:20:11 > 0:20:16Vehicles, names and mobile phone numbers all matched. There was something big going on here
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and what Owen had stumbled across was just the tip of the iceberg.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25He put in a few calls, and as he compared notes with colleagues across the east of England,
0:20:25 > 0:20:30the sheer size of this fly-tipping gang's operations became shockingly clear.
0:20:33 > 0:20:39We were able to link it, in total, to 22 other deposit sites.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48All the details matched. Owen realised that he had accidentally uncovered
0:20:48 > 0:20:51a huge criminal fly-tipping operation.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53The scale was truly jaw-dropping.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58Lorries were illegally dumping thousands of tonnes of construction and demolition waste
0:20:58 > 0:21:02in multiple locations across London and the South East.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05In fact, anywhere this gang could find a spare piece of land,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08they moved in and covered it with rubbish.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11This was the biggest one I'd ever come across,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16the way it unfolded into multiple tipping sites across Essex,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Kent, South London and North East London.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24The organisation involved was astounding,
0:21:24 > 0:21:29with the ringleaders even having the nerve to make the illegal dumps look like lawful businesses.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34What these guys were doing is, they would find a site up for redevelopment
0:21:34 > 0:21:39and they'd put up their own health and safety signs and their mobile telephone number to contact,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41so it appeared a legitimate operation.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46Often they'd have a man outside with a high-visibility jacket and a broom.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52Nice touch, guys. Who would challenge a bloke with a hardhat, high-vis jacket and a broom?
0:21:52 > 0:21:56But this was just the beginning. These guys had thought of everything.
0:21:56 > 0:22:01It was a very, very organised tipping sequence that involved
0:22:01 > 0:22:04a spotter van driving around first
0:22:04 > 0:22:07to see if there was anybody watching,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09vehicles being led on site
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and about 80 tonnes of waste
0:22:12 > 0:22:17taking about three minutes to tip on site. It was a very organised operation.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Owen's initial investigation into the fly-tipping gang
0:22:21 > 0:22:25led to the Environment Agency launching a four-week covert operation,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28codenamed Operation Huron.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33Enviro enforcers were detailed to stake out the gang's favourite fly-tipping locations.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37The secret photographic evidence they gathered was astonishing -
0:22:37 > 0:22:42lorry after lorry turning up to site and tipping commercial and demolition waste,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45picked up from all over London and the South East.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51This shows the footage from the motorway surveillance cameras.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Three lorries come straight in, each loaded with about 18 tonnes of waste.
0:22:56 > 0:23:01But you'll see the man who led them on, he comes along and unhitches the tailgate.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04There's no need, even, for the drivers to get out.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Many of the sites, council and private land, were entered unlawfully.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14The filthy, rotten scoundrels even went so far as to cut through security chains
0:23:14 > 0:23:19and replace them with their own locks, so that they could keep control of the locations.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23This kind of site, I think, is just opportunist.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26They found an empty site, they tip on it once
0:23:26 > 0:23:30and then just continue tipping, because nobody's said anything.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33This was clearly a very elaborate set up.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36But where were these guys and their vehicles based?
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Coming up on Filthy Rotten Scoundrels,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42the Environment Agency discovers the complexity
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- of this criminal gang's operation. - Because we'd found the depot,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48we watched them from the depot
0:23:48 > 0:23:51to get an idea about when they were coming in and finishing work,
0:23:51 > 0:23:54when they were starting work in the morning.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57And they discover just how dangerous their business was.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01These vehicles, doing 30 tonnes,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04shuttling up and down the A13 with no brakes.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11Dog poo fouling our streets and parks. It's an unpleasant addition to our neighbourhoods
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and one which enviro enforcers across the UK are trying to stop.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20Liverpool City Council are tackling dog fouling with a dedicated team of enviro enforcers,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23who can issue a fine of £50 for not scooping the poop.'
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Your dog's fouled and you've failed to notice it.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39But in the North London borough of Islington, they've taken the battle to a whole new level.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Meet the Poover, the Parisian pooper-scooter...
0:24:59 > 0:25:03'..Islington's latest weapon to keep its streets free from dog poop.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And it does exactly what it says on the tin.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22A quick squirt of disinfectant, turn on the vacuum and it's all gone!
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Va-va-vacuum, as the French would say!
0:25:27 > 0:25:31This Poover is the only one of its kind in the UK
0:25:31 > 0:25:35and it's the pride and joy of enviro enforcer Len Esnard.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39It isn't any more difficult to use than a conventional moped.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43There isn't anything other than the fact that it has a vacuum unit
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and it stores the effluent that you've got.
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Apart from that, everything is the same. If you can go somewhere on a moped, you can go on this.
0:25:51 > 0:25:59From the front on, it is a normal moped. Then, with the conversion, you have an under-seat storage tank
0:25:59 > 0:26:06which lowers the centre of gravity. Within the rear here, you have a small engine,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09which houses the vacuum unit
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and basically sucks all the effluent through this pipe
0:26:12 > 0:26:15and stores it.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18But it can also wash at the same time.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21So it can wash away any residue or marks from the pavement
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and allows you a cleaner pick-up.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Apart from that, it's just normal from the front end.
0:26:27 > 0:26:33John Sim is the man charged with Poovering up Islington's dog mess.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37The ingenious gadget came into service a year ago
0:26:37 > 0:26:43and since then has hoovered up over 2,000 incidents of dog fouling.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And it's made the borough's streets a cleaner place to walk.
0:26:46 > 0:26:53You can see a difference. But it would be better if people picked their own dog fouling up.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58But, yeah, it's made a difference. People like it and it's easy, quick.
0:27:01 > 0:27:07The £12,000 Poover has made a big difference to the streets of Islington.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14But do council taxpayers think it's been money well spent?
0:27:15 > 0:27:1899% are happy with it.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Once they know what it's doing, they are very happy with it.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24You get the odd one that says it's a waste of money,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27"the enforcement officers should be doing their jobs",
0:27:27 > 0:27:32but, obviously, they can't be around all over. But most of the public are happy.
0:27:34 > 0:27:40Right across the UK, dedicated men and women are working hard to make our country a cleaner place to live.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44And, thanks to a little Parisian chic, John and his Poover,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48it's no longer a gamble walking the streets of Islington.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Fly-tipping is often an opportunistic crime.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56A piece of land becomes derelict or a business closes
0:27:56 > 0:28:02and fly-tippers spot an opportunity to tip, hoping that no-one will take any notice.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05In the Norris Green area of Liverpool,
0:28:05 > 0:28:10it's something the locals have seen happen as soon as businesses close down.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12This is a common occurrence.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17That's only more or less happened since the pub shut, hasn't it?
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Because the pub was quite busy then, people walking up and down.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24but the fact that the pub's shut now
0:28:24 > 0:28:28and they know no-one's here, come down the street.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33What do you do? You come down, but they'd just tell you to eff off, mind your own business and whatever.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Find out where you live and...
0:28:38 > 0:28:43Fears of reprisals are not the only concern with this pile of waste. It's full of dangerous asbestos.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Enviro enforcer Will Cherico has been called out to investigate.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54The area we're in now, it's quite residential.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58There's a school nearby. The danger is that kids might play on this,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00they might be standing on it,
0:29:00 > 0:29:05they might crack some of the asbestos and come in contact with it in a way they shouldn't.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09There's a specialist team who deal with hazardous waste
0:29:09 > 0:29:12who are coming this morning to get rid of this asbestos.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Asbestos was used in buildings until the 1990s.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21If broken and the fibres inhaled, the dust can fatally damage lungs
0:29:21 > 0:29:26and asbestos-related diseases kill over 4,000 people every year.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29A specialist team has arrived to remove it safely.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Basically, we've got an asbestos sheet,
0:29:35 > 0:29:40looks like it's come off a shed or garage, that's been fly-tipped.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43The council have contacted us to ask us to remove it.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45If you break that, you will get fibres in the air.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48It's got to be stopped, definitely.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51It's a danger to the public.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57It's really important the guys take all the necessary precautions,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00including specialist suits and respirators.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Obviously, we're standing a distance away,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06so that there's no risk to us,
0:30:06 > 0:30:11just while they're loading it up into the van, in case any of it breaks off
0:30:11 > 0:30:14and the wind might carry some of the fibres over.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20With asbestos, the danger is not what you can see, but what you can't.
0:30:20 > 0:30:25The smaller the fibres, the more you breathe in and the more dangerous it becomes.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Asbestos is a natural fibre found in the ground,
0:30:30 > 0:30:35used a lot in construction in the '60s. It was eventually outlawed and not allowed to be used.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38When I was younger, we used asbestos in all sorts of things.
0:30:38 > 0:30:44Even at school, we were taught about asbestos. Children are not taught about asbestos nowadays.
0:30:44 > 0:30:50This toxic cargo will be destroyed safely under controlled conditions.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55The asbestos has been cleared up now, but there's a few things left there.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59There's some carpeting. I'll report that now
0:30:59 > 0:31:03and one of our crews will come and take that away.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08The clean-up team have done a great job, but sadly for Will,
0:31:08 > 0:31:12there was no evidence as to who dumped this lethal waste in the first place.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16The case has been closed, but the eagle-eyed locals and enviro enforcers
0:31:16 > 0:31:22continue to keep a watchful eye for any other filthy, rotten scoundrels up to no good.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31Back in Enfield, enviro enforcer Jeff Elliott is hot on the heels of the scoundrels
0:31:31 > 0:31:33who are dumping rubbish on his patch.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Today he's come down to this alleyway,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39because a woman has been in contact with him about fly-tipping here.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42The lady left a message on my work phone,
0:31:42 > 0:31:49basically saying that she witnessed a car just pull up here and fly-tip some waste there.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54Enfield's clean-up squad has already removed the rubbish,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56but the woman has made Jeff's day.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58She kept back some of the waste as evidence.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04This is the stuff that came out of the fly-tip.
0:32:04 > 0:32:08They've seen a car pull up, it wasn't a van or anything, so it's a resident,
0:32:08 > 0:32:12they pulled up, opened the boot and took out a load of boxes
0:32:12 > 0:32:18and this stuff, correspondence, and they've put it in the bins, which is a fly-tipping offence in itself,
0:32:18 > 0:32:21but it's good that they've taken some of the evidence out.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27Bingo. The package contains loads of unopened post.
0:32:27 > 0:32:33I've got an address here which is the same address as on this packaging here.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35So, let's have a look.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40I'm hoping anything else I find is going to be... Yep! It's exactly...
0:32:40 > 0:32:45We've got the same address, but a different name.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50- This is getting interesting. - Same address, different name.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55So, this is the same address, different name again.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00This is a property of multiple occupancy.
0:33:00 > 0:33:06So, I'm not too sure which person I need to bring in.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10Maybe all of them. I might need to interview about this fly-tip,
0:33:10 > 0:33:14because it doesn't... Ah, I've got the same person three times here.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Looking at what I've got here...
0:33:18 > 0:33:23..I'm pretty sure, at the moment, this is the person I need to bring into the office for an interview.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30It seems like Jeff has rung the bell. There's enough evidence here to move his investigation forward,
0:33:30 > 0:33:35but even he is amazed at the kind of information that the perpetrators have left lying around.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38It's amazing, some of the stuff you see here.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41You could create a whole profile for yourself -
0:33:41 > 0:33:44false name, identity, get passports, driving licences.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48It's so sloppy of these people to fly-tip this.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Sloppy indeed. As there's post for a number of different people,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55- Jeff needs to work out exactly who lives there.- Ah, another name.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Amazing. I've got five different names now.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02It looks like there's a selection of letters for previous owners,
0:34:02 > 0:34:06so Jeff needs to check who is registered as the current occupier.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08He's straight on the blower.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11I've just spoken to my council tax team there
0:34:11 > 0:34:16and it appears that they've only got one person living there as a single person's allowance.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19Interesting. For Jeff and his council colleagues,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21it's all about team work.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26My role is just try and find who fly-tipped that, but our departments all work together.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33Jeff's invited the man who lives in the flat to the council headquarters
0:34:33 > 0:34:36cos he wants to speak to him face to face.
0:34:36 > 0:34:41He wants me to explain to him why he's here out in the reception area,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44which I can't do, because I need to talk to him under caution,
0:34:44 > 0:34:49so the sooner I can get him in, the sooner I can explain to him why he's here and it might calm him down.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52So I'm going to invite him in.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54The man declined to be filmed,
0:34:54 > 0:34:57but he did admit the fly-tipping offence.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01I think he felt that it was quite trivial. He never denied it.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04He put his hands up, said, "Yeah, it was me, it was my car,
0:35:04 > 0:35:09"I've just moved into a house, I've been there a week or so." He was having a clear out.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14Quite often, when you do speak to residents
0:35:14 > 0:35:16or persons about fly-tipping,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20they seem to think they can just put their waste round anyone's bin,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23anywhere round the borough, which isn't the case.
0:35:23 > 0:35:29I made it quite clear to him that we do take it very seriously.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31It's something we really need to crack down on.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35I don't believe there will be any further incidents with this person,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39because I think, in today's meeting, we've got our message across.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44We need to get the message out there that we do not tolerate fly-tipping anywhere is the borough.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Back in Thurrock, enviro enforcer Owen Bolton was investigating
0:35:49 > 0:35:54a massive illegal fly-tipping operation, covering London and the South East.
0:35:54 > 0:35:59At this stage in the investigation, he had no idea where the gang were based.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04But he and his team were about to uncover the sheer size of this criminal gang's operation,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07as phase two of their investigation kicked in.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Owen arranged an elaborate surveillance sting,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16to secretly follow the lorry's movements.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20We got together a team of people in cars to follow these vehicles,
0:36:20 > 0:36:23to find out where their operating base was.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29It turned out the gang had their own haulage depot and garage in Essex.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34These criminals treated their illegal activities just like any other nine-to-five job.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39They had a base, a fleet of lorries and a nice little cosy tea hut!
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Because we'd found their depot, we watched them from their depot,
0:36:42 > 0:36:46to get an idea about when they were coming in and finishing work,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48when they were starting work in the morning.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52We tailed them in the morning to watch them tip and then returned in the evening.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55Owen and his team had seen enough.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Their few weeks of surveillance, together with other intelligence,
0:36:59 > 0:37:01linked them to a staggering amount of illegal dumping.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Wait for it. The Environment Agency calculated
0:37:04 > 0:37:11these men could be responsible for an eye-watering 14,500 tonnes of waste -
0:37:11 > 0:37:18the equivalent to 750 lorry loads, on at least 15 different sites in London and the South East.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22It was time to put an end to their filthy habit.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Owen co-ordinated a massive raid on the depot.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35Environment Agency officers and the police turned out in force,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38as there was no guarantee this wouldn't turn nasty.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46We set up a site entry onto the site,
0:37:46 > 0:37:49we got warrants to seize the four vehicles.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52There's three that you can see on the footage here.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56There was another vehicle involved earlier on.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59We had the warrants to seize the vehicles and went in with the police.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04The enviro enforcers' timing couldn't have been better.
0:38:04 > 0:38:09Inside the garage, they found resprayed lorries and new spotter vans.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14These tricky operators were just about to change their whole fleet, to avoid detection.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18And that wasn't all. The lorries might have had a nice new paint job,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21but their roadworthiness left a lot to be desired.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Many of them had multiple mechanical problems, including dodgy headlights
0:38:25 > 0:38:29and, most frighteningly, faulty brakes.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31These vehicles, doing 30 tonnes,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34shuttling up and down the A13 with no brakes.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38That's some of the other things these guys don't do, vehicle maintenance.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42You can see here, it's a real problem. They just cut corners everywhere.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47Owen and his team burned the midnight oil pouring over the piles of dodgy paperwork
0:38:47 > 0:38:51recovered from the filthy, rotten scoundrels' headquarters.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53And in doing so, three names kept popping up...
0:38:54 > 0:38:58Mick Ryan, Patrick Anderson
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and James Kelleher.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05Anderson and Kelleher were the ringleaders of the fly-tipping gang,
0:39:05 > 0:39:07but there was no sign of Ryan.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12After extensive investigation, including the use of handwriting experts,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16the environment agency proved that Michael Ryan didn't exist.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Money paid into the accounts created in his name
0:39:19 > 0:39:21was paid out to Kelleher and Anderson.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25The gang had set up bank accounts using this assumed name,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29through which they laundered money and registered vehicles and mobile phones.
0:39:31 > 0:39:37James Kelleher had been masquerading, effectively, as Mick Ryan.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41He'd been writing DVLA documents in the name of Mick Ryan,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45to register lorries, as had Mr Anderson.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50The Anglian and Thames region environmental crime teams
0:39:50 > 0:39:54had used the most up-to-date techniques to piece together the jigsaw -
0:39:54 > 0:39:59surveillance, forensic, handwriting analysis and crime mapping.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02But the gang had one more trick up their sleeve.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06As the net closed in, Anderson made a bid for freedom and fled the country.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11Environment Agency lawyer Angus Iness takes up the story.
0:40:11 > 0:40:18After he was requested to attend for interview, he was living in a house in South East London,
0:40:18 > 0:40:23and had been for years, but after he was requested to attend an interview,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27in respect of this and the crimes involved in this case,
0:40:27 > 0:40:32the house was sold and he disappeared back to the Republic of Ireland.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37If Anderson thought he had got away with it, he was sorely mistaken.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42The Environment Agency was not deterred. They used their first-ever European arrest warrant,
0:40:42 > 0:40:45to bring him back from Ireland to stand trial.
0:40:45 > 0:40:52He and Kelleher pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to unlawfully deposit controlled waste on land -
0:40:52 > 0:40:55fly-tipping, to you and me.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59The conspiracy charges were also a first for the Environment Agency
0:40:59 > 0:41:05and highlighted the fact that the defendants had gone to great lengths to conceal their crimes.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09The court proceedings were led by the EA's national legal team,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13through the assistant to the chief EA prosecutor. The judge threw the book at them.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18Mr Anderson was given 22 months in prison
0:41:18 > 0:41:21and Mr Kelleher was given 14 months in prison.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31Anderson had been convicted a number of times, over a period of 15 to 20 years.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35Illegal waste was his game and since these two were convicted,
0:41:35 > 0:41:42the amount of serious large-scale commercial and demolition waste dumping in North and East London
0:41:42 > 0:41:44severely dropped. Severely dropped.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Investigations revealed that Anderson and Kelleher
0:41:50 > 0:41:53had made a shocking amount of money from their activities.
0:41:54 > 0:41:59I think, at the time, they'd be charging probably about £150 a load,
0:41:59 > 0:42:05which was just short of what it should have been, about £180 a load.
0:42:05 > 0:42:09We were able to show, overall, from their account book,
0:42:09 > 0:42:14that about £1.3m
0:42:14 > 0:42:18had been paid to them over about 15 months.
0:42:18 > 0:42:23There's massive money in this business. There's a massive amount of construction in London.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27If you can get rid of the excavation waste and demolition waste
0:42:27 > 0:42:31for as little money as possible, you make a great deal of money.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36Despite this, solicitor Angus Iness has no doubt that, in the long run,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39crime certainly doesn't pay.
0:42:39 > 0:42:45This is as serious as you can think. It involved deliberate criminality,
0:42:45 > 0:42:47highly-organised criminality,
0:42:47 > 0:42:51false identities, over a period of time.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52This is as serious as waste cases get
0:42:52 > 0:42:56and they sustained even a 14-month sentence for a first offender.
0:42:56 > 0:43:01Join us next time, when we'll be hot on the heels of more Filthy Rotten Scoundrels.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:21 > 0:43:24E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk