Criminal probe into '32,000 tonne waste dump'

A criminal investigation has opened into what the Environment Agency (EA) estimates to be 32,000 tonnes of waste dumped on land at a farm.

Kayne Steinborn-Busse, who owns the property, said the material was being used to create three cricket pitches for the local community.

The BBC has visited the farm in Binfield, Berkshire, and seen brick and glass within piles across large parts of the site.

The EA said its criminal investigation continued to "find and prosecute the shameless people" who put the waste on the site.

The EA included the site on a list of illegal dumps measuring more than 20,000 tonnes in England after a request from the House of Lords' Environment and Climate Change Committee.

Oak Tree Farm lies on the border between the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and Bracknell Forest Council areas, with land in both.

An EA spokesperson said: "Specialist environmental crime officers are investigating the site in Binfield, and will not hesitate to take legal action against those responsible.

"Anyone with information about this operation, or with suspicions about waste crime elsewhere, should contact the Environment Agency's 24-hour incident hotline."

Steinborn-Busse, who is also one of the owners of Bracknell Cricket Club, bought the farm in October 2024 for £3.8m.

"This is an engineering project. It's material brought onto this site that has a defined end use and that is to build and to landscape," he said.

"[The EA's 32,000 tonnes' statement] is an assumption and it shouldn't be relied upon. It's a guesstimate.

"How on earth can a guesstimate be put into the public domain that is going to be picked up by every single news source? How can you do that?"

He continued: "For me, it will be one of the best facilities in the area. The participation for children will go through the roof on a facility like this.

"One thing I will have a reputation for on all my facilities is I get them done. I get them down quickly and we push forward at a relentless pace to get them done so they can get into use."

He added: "That's inert soil. So you'll have predominantly a very clay-based soil in there. But there will be things like bricks. You'll definitely have some bricks in that soil."

He said the material was not being "stockpiled" and would be used within a year.

That's really important," he said. "Making sure, if you bring material on it's being brought on to be used - that's the critical point. It's not just being brought on for being brought on's sake."

Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds said residents had been complaining about the site for years.

"[The EA] have said it's an illegal waste dump and I will listen to [the EA] when it comes to this," he said.

"I think there is frustration from residents that they've been reporting this for multiple years and nothing seems to have happened right up until now when [the EA] have confirmed that it is an illegal waste dump but only when it's got to 32,000 tonnes."

The EA's investigation is continuing.