Fly-tipping gang sentenced for massive London waste-dumping spree after Environment Agency probe
Four men have been sentenced for a year-long fly-tipping operation across London, following an Environment Agency investigation. They were caught on CCTV breaking into sites, directing tipper trucks, and dumping waste such as construction debris and tyres. Patrick Doherty received a 28-month jail term, while the others were given suspended sentences or shorter terms. The clean-up costs reached hundreds of thousands of pounds, with one site incurring a £300,000 bill.
- ▪The gang dumped waste at six sites in London, including Croydon and Colliers Wood, over a 12-month period.
- ▪CCTV footage showed the men breaking in, hiding their faces, and tampering with cameras to avoid detection.
- ▪One landowner faced a £300,000 clean-up bill after the gang threatened staff and smashed security equipment.
- ▪The Environment Agency used multiple camera sources and body-worn footage to identify the offenders.
- ▪The government has launched a 'zero-tolerance' waste crime action plan with £45 million in funding over three years.
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NewsUKCrimeFly-tipping gang sentenced for massive London waste-dumping spree after Environment Agency probeCCTV showed the men breaking into sites and directing tipper trucks of rubbishRebecca Speare-Cole Tuesday 28 April 2026 09:01 BSTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":false,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2966195","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/fly-tipping-london-croydon-colliers-wood-b2966195.html","title":"Fly-tipping gang sentenced for massive London waste-dumping spree"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-7183","index":0}Four men have been sentenced for a year-long rubbish dumping spree (Environment Agency/PA Wire)For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsEmail*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"regSourceNewsletter":"IND_Breaking_Newsletter","regTitle":"Breaking News","subscriptionGroup":"breaking_news","subscriptionGroupId":"ea81aa66-1d12-4313-9b4e-6f20b0117b8f","type":"breaking_news","pathPrefix":["/news/uk/crime","/news/world","/topic/race","/topic/racism","/topic/race-and-ethnicity","/topic/diversity","/topic/ethnic-minorities","/topic/muslim","/topic/black","/topic/black-british","/topic/african-americans","/topic/systemic-racism","/topic/bame"],"title":"For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails","mobileTitle":"Sign up to our free breaking news emails","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/breakingNews1_1.png","label":"I <strong>would<\/strong> like to receive breaking news alerts by email<\/span>","newsletterKey":"receiveIndyBreakingNews","regSourceSection":"Crime","regSourceMethod":"NSCs"},"isClimate":false}Four men have been sentenced after illegally dumping waste at six sites across London.CCTV footage shows the men breaking into the areas and directing tipper trucks loaded with rubbish for dumping.Patrick Doherty was jailed for 28 months and Martin Ward was jailed for 18 months.Michael Ward, also known as Martin McCann, and Simon O’Donnell both received 14-month prison sentences suspended for two years.It came after the men were found guilty at Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court of conspiracy to illegally dump controlled waste following a pattern of offending that spanned a year.The criminal operation involved repeatedly dumping rubbish, such as tyres and waste, from house clearances and construction at different sites over a year, the Environment Agency said.As part of its investigation, the agency obtained CCTV footage showing the men taking control of sites and directing tipper trucks.open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-7184","index":1}The men directed tipper trucks full of rubbish to dump waste (Environment Agency/PA Wire)It also shows them interfering with CCTV cameras, frequently hiding their own faces, and removing or covering vehicle registration plates as part of efforts to conceal their identities.The Environment Agency said the landowner of one site – at Imperial Way in Croydon – was left with a clean-up bill of…
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