At least 8,000 illegal waste sites in UK, research suggests

Exclusive: Concerns over impact on health and environment, as well as 1.63bn in avoided landfill tax

The UK is estimated to have at least 8,000 illegal waste sites, containing approximately 13m tonnes of rubbish, research has revealed.

The scale of the criminal dumping means at least 1.63bn of landfill taxes have been avoided, according to an analysis of data from the satellite company Air & Space Evidence, shared with the Guardian and Watershed Investigations.