Parliament will be encouraged to work with police forces to catch and smash the vehicles used by pilots in the latest phase of government policy blitz ahead of Thursday's local elections.

New legislation will sentence people who illegally transport waste in England to up to five years in prison, under a plan led by the Department of Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

People who usually dump garbage or debris on the roadside are often listed as local concerns by voters. Government statistics in England recorded 1.15 million events in 2023-24, up 6% from the year before.

While the Council already has the authority to seize and crush vehicles used in smoke blow-up racks, Deedra said administrative obstacles mean that it rarely does it, with most of such actions last year only with two councils.

In addition to working with the Council to make this easier, local authorities will be able to charge pilot fees for the cost of grabbing and storing any vehicle. Police will be encouraged to help identify vehicles that are used with drones and mobile CCTV cameras.

While the rules do not allow the announcement of the new policy specifically targeting the areas of elections held on Thursday, national initiatives are allowed. As Labor is expected to face major challenges in UK reform, other new policies cover topics such as immigration and policing.

To expose the initiative, Environment Secretary Steve Reed visited a recycling center in Wokingham, Berkshire, where a van used to blow up cigarettes was crushed.

Reed said: “Wilted criminals and flies withered towns and villages have no punishment.

“Waste crime is wasting communities across the country. Throwing foot bombs has soared by one fifth, while the number of prosecutions has dropped by the same number since 2018-19.

“The people who failed to punish these criminals left our streets, roads and countryside and were buried under a garbage avalanche.”

In a parallel program, the Environment Agency will provide additional resources to check the licensed waste operators and provide more power to revoke the rogue company’s license and fine it.

Philip Duffy, the agency’s CEO, said: “Waste crime is toxic. The criminal’s unconscious actions can harm people, localities and economies, weaken our communities and undermine legal businesses.

"We are determined to bring these criminals to justice through strict law enforcement actions and prosecutions. That's why we support the government's crackdown on waste criminals, which will ensure we have the right power to keep rogue operators out."