Network Rail has been working to remove fly-tipped waste that has been left on a Telford railway. 250 tonnes of rubbish was left on the railway and has been an eyesore for the local area. The waste was industrial scale and was located just a few minutes away from the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site.

The dumping happened in December last year, and with it being so close to a World Heritage site has probably been witnessed by countless numbers of people. Network Rail have worked with the Environment Agency in order to gather the information that would be required to find our who is responsible for the fly-tipping. Evidence has been gathered from the site and the investigation in to finding the culprit is currently ongoing, therefore Network Rail have the opportunity to start clearing the rubbish.

It is thought that the operation to remove the waste will cost £40,000. This cost will be to Network Rail initially but will ultimately be passed on to the taxpayer. The Rail company has said that having to clear such a large amount of waste is a waste of money that could have gone to improving the rail network instead of cleaning up after an industrial scale rubbish dump. The company have said they are dedicated to finding out who is responsible for this abuse to the environment.

The Environment Agency has said that their investigations around the illegal activity are continuing, and intend to investigate every fly-tipping site they have knowledge of. Unfortunately, these investigations can take months as they are complex and thorough, but hopefully The Environment Agency will be able to track down the responsible parties. It is thought that waste related crime can cost up to £1 billion every year that could be invested in legitimate businesses. It is thought that the Environment agency has spent £65.2 million addressing waste crimes since 2011.