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Man quizzed over huge illegal waste dumps

Evie LakeNorth East and Cumbria
Environment Agency Waste dumped at a disused quarry in Hartlepool. There is a enormous mound of shredded rubbish sloping down a hole at the quarry among the soil. Three people in high visibility clothing are at the top of pile and look tiny in comparison to the size of the heap. There are rocky cliffs surrounding the pile with shrubbery and grass on either side. The sky is grey with large clouds.Environment Agency
Waste was dumped at Hart Quarry in Hartlepool, as well as sites at Peterlee and near Newcastle Airport

A man has been arrested in connection with the illegal dumping of "thousands of tonnes of waste" at sites across north-east England.

The 32-year-old from Sunderland is being questioned in connection with dumps at the former Dewhirst Site in Peterlee and Hart Quarry in Hartlepool.

The arrest came as part of a wider investigation by Northumbria Police and the Environment Agency (EA) into the two sites, as well as a third at Callerton near Newcastle Airport.

The three sites were reported over the summer and concrete blocks were positioned to stop access while officers carried out searches of the waste to find evidence linked to the culprits.

The EA said: "Together the dumps amount to thousands of tonnes of waste."

Environment Agency A huge pile of rubbish in between two patches of long grass. It is on a slope with a concrete path visible in the left corner. The bits of rubbish is in various states, but envelopes, plastic bags and wipes can be seen. Behind the mound at the top is a concrete wall with some graffiti and a line of large trees behind it.Environment Agency
The Peterlee dump is at the former Dewhirst factory site

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