Between Thionville and Hayange, tractors and tipper trucks have invaded the landscape for over twenty years. Residents have become accustomed to seeing their orange mass wandering on the heights of the Volkrange district. The plots, in the locality of Theilesch, belong to a farmer.
For two decades, he has been burying tons of earth and rubble there. Products, he says, from several domestic yards in the region. The man claims he is not breaking the law. That this land is not meant to stay buried here.
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Sentenced in 2018
In 2018, however, the court condemned the farmer for illegal storage of waste and for the damage caused. Incarcerated, he was released a few months later after serving his sentence. Despite the sanction, the tractors continued their ballet. The activity continued. This is what several local residents, elected officials and environmental associations claim.
An investigation has been opened. It was entrusted to the Central Office for the fight against damage to the environment and public health (Oclaesp), a specialized unit of the gendarmerie. In September 2020, findings were made on site. Samples were taken. Drones flew over the area. The aim of the operation was to verify the nature of the waste buried on the plots and to measure their potential for pollution. And searches were carried out at the farmer’s home.
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Three people arrested
Unimpressed, the entrepreneur went on with his business. He even moved them to a second plot of 1.6 hectares in Marspich. Here again, the prefect considers that this is an illegal discharge. The farmer was put on notice to regularize the situation of his land. He didn’t resolve it.
Last Tuesday, following a long-term investigation, the man was arrested and placed in police custody at the Metz gendarmerie group. Several offenses are charged against him. His wife and son-in-law, suspected of having resumed the activity while his father-in-law was in prison, were also heard. They were released after 48 hours and placed under judicial control. The farmer was remanded in custody. He will be tried soon for the charges against him.
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