M1 near Toddington fly-tipping bill cost £70k

The bill to clear up 210 tonnes of waste dumped under the M1 amounted to nearly £70,000, it has been revealed.

Sofas, wooden pallets and doors were left underneath the motorway at junction 12 in Bedfordshire in June.

The clean up of the rubbish – which posed a fire risk to motorists on the carriageway above – took 16 days.

Highways England spent £68,056 removing the rubbish – more than double the £33,000 it cost to dispose of waste left in the same place in 2017.

In a Freedom of Information Act disclosure, Highways England said that the waste could not be disposed of until the eviction of a group occupying the land near Toddington on 4 June.

Following the eviction, removal of the fly-tipped material took place between 9 and 25 June.

Highways England said this was biggest incident of fly-tipping it had dealt with in recent years.

A spokesman said no one had been prosecuted as yet but investigations continued to track down those responsible.

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-46309902