Warning over illegal waste

ENVIRONMENTAL watchdogs have warned that Scotland could become a haven for illegal waste dumping because fines are so much lower than in England.

Director of environmental protection at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Colin Bayes, said fines in Scotland were "unequivocally too low".

The average fine in Scotland is 2,511, compared to 7,193 in England and Wales.

Mr Bayes said it was in many companies' financial interests to dump their waste illegally and pay a fine.

"If you are a company that could make tens of thousands of pounds by dumping materials illegally, and were then fined just 1,000, it would be good business practice to act illegally," he said.