Government upgrades drones, deploys joystick tweakers to catch illegal dumpers

The UK government is pulling together an elite squad of drone operators to crack down on the scourge of fly tippers and unauthorized dumpers across this ever less green and pleasant land.

The top drawer cadre of joystick jockeys will "track down illegal dumps from the air," the Environment Agency said, as part of a "major crackdown on waste crime."

Some of the drones will be upgraded with laser mapping technology, including LIDAR, the EA said, while the agency will also deploy "a new screening tool that enables EA officers to scan and cross-check lorry license applications against waste permit records." This means suspect operators will be flagged "before they have a chance to move waste illegally."

From the government's point of view, illegal fly tipping and dumping is now in the realms of organized crime. The government is increasing the Environment Agency's enforcement budget by half to ...