Man Arrested Over Cave’s Inn Pits Waste Dump Investigation

A man has been arrested in connection with an investigation into large-scale illegal waste dumping at a protected site in the Harborough district.

The Environment Agency says a 24-year-old man from Leeds was arrested in relation to the dumping of waste at Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Shawell.

The arrest was part of a wider investigation into alleged organised waste crime at a site in Wigan, where three other men were also arrested on suspicion of environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.

The illegal dump at Cave’s Inn Pits was discovered in April, after Environment Agency and Natural England officers investigated reports from members of the public about strong smells coming from the area.

Around 30,000 tonnes of household waste was discovered spread across an area the size of a football pitch at Cave’s Inn Pits Site

Around 30,000 tonnes of household waste has since been found spread across an area the size of a football pitch at the protected site, south of Lutterworth.

Officers say the waste is believed to have been shredded and covered in layers of soil, and have warned people to stay away while investigations continue.

The Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit is leading the investigation and says the arrests are an important step in gathering evidence and identifying those responsible.

Sue Longstone, Director of Operations for the North at the Environment Agency, said: “Illegal dumping at Bolton House Road and Cave’s Inn Pits are atrocious attacks on our communities, and we share the public’s utter disgust at these horrendous crimes.

“Our teams have been working relentlessly on these investigations, and our arrests are a vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing it further.”

The Environment Agency says its investigation remains ongoing.