The visits were the largest operation of its kind carried out in a single day across the area.

Officers followed up on specific reports of waste being burned illegally by commercial ventures and evidence will be gathered against those who break the law.

EA teams will make follow-up visits to sites where criminal and illegal activities are found.

Mark Rumble, enforcement team leader with the EA, said: “Waste criminals like those we’re tracking down today flout the law and put our communities and our environment at risk.

“That’s why we take waste crime extremely seriously and will do everything we can to bring those responsible to account.”

Illegal waste activity is estimated to have cost more than £600m in 2015 England alone.

Between 2011 and 2017, the EA stopped over 5400 illegal waste sites.

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