Illegal dumping of waste on an "industrial" scale is a scourge across Lanarkshire.
Environmental watchdog SEPA say they face a constant battle against criminal gangs, otherwise connected to drugs and weapons.
Indeed, it is thought 15 per cent of organised crime groups in Scotland now having interests in environmental businesses.
The BBC's Disclosure documentary last week highlighted illegal dumping in Lanarkshire, showing trailers full of what appeared to be household waste dumped in East Kilbride's Kelvin Industrial Estate and an abandoned trailer at the side of the A73.
Opposition politicians say the environmental watchdog and local council are being "outflanked" by gangs because of a lack of resources which has made it "too easy" for illegal dumping landfill sites to be established for too long.
Central Scotland Labour MSP, Monica Lennon, told Lanarkshire Live : "Serious waste crime is a dirty and sinister business and tougher action is needed to stamp it out.
“The documentary highlights the harm it is causing people and the environment here in Lanarkshire on an industrial scale.
“We are in a climate and nature emergency and our laws and systems are being outflanked by criminals.
“There needs to be stronger deterrents and proper resources to combat these toxic acts.”
Her stance was seconded by Tory MSP, Graham Simpson, who said it has been "too easy" for illegal dumping to take place and for illegal landfill sites to be established.
He added: "But this goes beyond just fly tipping. This is dumping on an industrial scale.
"SEPA and councils need to be properly resourced to tackle it - both in terms of money, but also the legal back up."
In the last 15 months, 12 trailers have been found across central Scotland - all of them filled with household and construction waste.
And at an undisclosed farm in Lanarkshire, under investigation by SEPA, levels of methane gas 60 times the legal limit were discovered due to illegal waste being buried under the ground.
SEPA say illegal landfills can lie rotting for years due to the lack of available resources and cash to clean it up.
Green MSP Gillian MacKay called the largescale crime a "scourge on communities," saying it is "vital that action is taken" to deter and tackle the problem, holding those responsible to account.
An East Kilbride-based litter picking group say they regularly come across large-scale illegal dumping, confirming a number of trailers have been found dumped in East Kilbride in recent months, aside from the one featured in the Disclosure investigation.
Fraser Calderwood, from the Community Litter Pickers, told Lanarkshire Live about another trailer uncovered on Hurlawcrook Road in the town.
He said: "It's a big problem.
"We are also aware of issues at Kittochside where commercial waste is dumped and there is evidence of criminal activity. From what we have seen it's only getting worse.
"We know of one land owner in Kittochside who has being trying to clear the illegal dumping of waste on his site for years. Tippers trucks come up during the night and just dump on his land.
"He doesn't want it there, but he has run out of money to clear it up."
East Kilbride MSP Collette Stevenson said illegal waste and fly-tipping had a "serious and detrimental impact" on our environment and communities, costing taxpayers tens of millions of pounds every year.
The SNP representative added: "Criminals often undercut proper waste disposal protocols.
"So before hiring someone for an uplift it is advisable to check they have a waste management license and will dispose of the waste correctly."
South Lanarkshire Council's head of facilities, waste and grounds services, Alistair McKinnon, said encouraged residents to dispose of their waste properly, asking them to take advantage of their special uplift service.
Andrew McPherson, head of regulatory services and waste solutions at North Lanarkshire Council, told us that four trailers were dumped in the region last year.
He added: "The costs incurred in removing them and disposing of the resulting waste has cost the local authority tens of thousands of pounds.
"This is money which has had to be diverted away from key critical front line services.
“Illegal dumping continues to be a significant issue for the council and it has direct links to criminality."
Justice Secretary Keith Brown chairs the Serious and Organised Crime Taskforce and said government efforts to tackle the problem were "starting to make an impact".
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