Fly-tippers turn Cornish beauty hotspot into Britain's largest 'waste crime dumps' after dumping toilets, pipes and concrete

By OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER Published: 07:56, 16 June 2026 | Updated: 07:58, 16 June 2026 Fly-tippers have turned 15 acres of a nature reserve into one of Britain's largest 'waste crime dumps' filled with toilets, pipes and concrete.  Trevoole Moor, near Camborne, in Cornwall, used to attract tourists for its stunning lake, nesting birds and beehives.  But in recent years it has become a huge eyesore and a dumping ground for industrial waste, according to local residents.  Neighbours described its transformation as a 'catastrophe', saying 15 acres of the 25-acre site have been dumped on, flattened, then dumped on again over the past 20 years. The site is now being investigated as one of Britain's worst 'waste crime sites' and the Environment Agency has pledged to take action.  It was first identified by a House of Lords committee in October and pictures taken this week reveal the true scale of the dumping ground.  One local resident said: 'It used to be such a beautiful place to visit and walk. Now you just wouldn't go there at all.  Pictured: The huge fly-tip site on the edge Pendarves Woods, near Camborne, Cornwall Fly-tippers have left toilets, pipes and concrete at the site which is now filled with industrial waste  The Environment Agency has said it was investigating and has pledged to 'take against perpetrators'. Pictured: Tyres at the dump  'It is awful how they've destroyed the place beyond all recognition. 'Any investigation they do now is too little too late. The damage has been done.' The site borders a public footpath and Duchy of Cornwall-owned Pendarves Woods and neighbours described the wetland as a former 'wildlife haven'. One local said: 'It's an absolute catastrophe. 'I remember when you first visited the site and there were beehives. Now you go there and there are burnt out sofas. It's unbelievably appalling.' Another resident added: 'It was beautiful down there, but not now - we've even seen a sofa on fire down there.' The Environment Agency (EA) has said it was investigating and has pledged to 'take action against perpetrators'. A spokesperson said: 'We have taken action to stop large scale deposits of waste at the site, including issuing Illegal Waste Stop Letters to the landowner, hauliers and operator. 'Our investigation is nearing completion and we will take strong action against perpetrators of waste crime.' Local Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George said: 'I'll be raising this not only with the EA but also with ministers.  An aerial view of the fly-tip site on the edge Pendarves Woods, near Camborne, Cornwall Trevoole Moor used to attract tourists for its stunning lake, nesting birds and beehives The site borders a public footpath and Duchy of Cornwall-owned Pendarves Woods and neighbours described the wetland as a former 'wildlife haven'. 'As you'll be aware, there have been a large number of scandalous cases around the country where this has occurred and it is absolutely shocking that cowboys like these believe they can get away with it. 'It is vital that an example is made of people who flagrantly abuse the rest of society by polluting the countryside in this way.' Cornwall Council said it was not involved in the investigation. The waste dump in Cornwall comes amid a national surge in fly-tipping across England. Around 38million tonnes of waste each year is dumped illegally, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 35 times over every year. Latest Defra figures show local authorities dealt with 1.26million fly-tipping incidents in 2024/25, up nine per cent on the previous year. Household waste made up 62 per cent of incidents, while highways - roads and pavements - were the most common dumping spots, accounting for 37 per cent. Councils carried out 572,000 enforcement actions in 2024/25, but just 69,000 fixed penalty notices were issued and the number of court fines fell to 1,250. Fly-tipping is a criminal offence. Councils can prosecute under environmental laws, and convicted offenders can face an unlimited fine or up to five years in prison in the most serious cases. Organised crime groups - including syndicates also involved in drug trafficking and money laundering - have also seized on waste as a 'low risk, high reward' goldmine. The scourge of trash mountains which have appeared across Britain last year led a former Environment Agency chief to describe the illicit £1billion-a-year racket as 'the new narcotics'. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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