The UK government is releasing a fleet of drones to help stop waste tippers and unauthorised rubbish dumpers across the UK.

The Environmental Agency announced a new package of surveillance and investigative measures to detect and stop waste criminals before they can litter or pollute the land.

The 33-strong drone squad will track down the waste tippers from the air, with some of the drones carrying upgraded laser mapping technology, LIDAR, to capture evidence to help secure successful prosecutions.

LIDAR technology fires millions of laser points per second towards the ground below to create highly detailed maps of illegal waste sites.

Currently flown from a dedicated aircraft mainly to capture flood information, moving LIDAR onto drones will allow even more precise mapping, pinpointing exactly where waste has been dumped. These maps can be used as evidence in court to help bring waste criminals to justice.

The Environment Agency has also developed a new screening tool that enables EA officers to scan and cross-check lorry licence applications against waste permit records – with suspect operators flagged before they have a chance to move waste illegally.

The new capabilities are backed by a reinforced Joint Unit for Waste Crime – now a 20-strong group of specialists working closely with law enforcement partners to dismantle organised criminal networks. This builds on a record year for waste enforcement, with 751 illegal waste sites shut down.

The programme will also introduce new screening scans to detect and target potential waste offenders before they begin operating.

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New software will check new applicants for Heavy Goods Vehicle operator licences against the Environmental Agency’s public register to identify operators already holding waste permits and licences.

The new tool has already been trialled successfully in East Anglia, where it helped the agency uncover a waste company that had secretly relocated its HGV operations to evade enforcement. The software flagged the new operating centre within a week, allowing EA officers to intervene before a licence was approved.

“By increasing the Environment Agency’s enforcement budget by over 50% to £15.6 million, we’re investing in cutting-edge technology that allows us to shut down illegal operators faster and more effectively,” Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said.

“From advanced laser-mapping to drone surveillance and new vehicle-scanning tools, this technology is helping us track, expose and stop waste crime, ensuring those who blight our communities are held to account.”