A Sunderland MP has welcomed a national initiative aiming to tackle waste crime and to force offenders to pay the cost of clean-up.

Bridget Phillipson, Labour MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, has welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s announcement of a co-ordinated crackdown on the criminal gangs profiting from illegal waste dumping.

A new Ministerial Tackling Waste Crime Alliance, chaired by Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle, will unite government, regulators, police, the National Crime Agency and mayors against waste criminals.

New powers will scrap the two-year time limit on confiscating cash, cars, houses and other assets bought with the proceeds of waste crime, and fixed penalty notices issued by the Environment Agency for waste will rise from £300 to £5,000.

Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson has welcomed new measures to tackle waste crime.

placeholder image — Sunderland MP Bridget Phillipson has welcomed new measures to tackle waste crime.

Under the plans, mayors and council leaders will be given a leading role in tackling waste crime through new regional multi-agency partnerships, with West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester being the first areas to pilot the approach from this autumn.

A new consultation has also been launched on proposed “clean-up squads”, which would give councils stronger powers to tackle fly-tipping.

This includes conditional cautions being issued requiring fly-tippers to complete up to 20 hours of unpaid clean-up work while also recovering the cost of clearing the mess directly from offenders so taxpayers are not left to foot the bill.

Sunderland MP Ms Phillipson said local residents had previously raised concerns about illegal dumping and welcomed the Government’s drive to give councils stronger powers to tackle the issue.

She said: “Local residents have had to put up with fly-tipping for too long.

“This package is a real step forward. It means fly-tippers in Sunderland will be made to clean up their own mess and pay for it, and I will be watching closely to make sure these new powers are used.”

Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle added: “This isn’t just about people dumping rubbish.

“Large-scale waste sites are fuelled by serious, organised crime, and we need to use the full force of the law to tackle it and root it out at source.

“Communities have been subjected to horrendous conditions and denied the pride they deserve in the places they call home. This ends now.”