Trailer of 40 tonnes of waste abandoned on road

An abandoned lorry trailer which is covered in grey and brown dirt and grime. A logo on the side says "Grocontinental" and also has a logo on it for the Motor Transport Awards 2004Image source, Telford and Wrekin Council
Image caption,

Telford and Wrekin Council said Grocontinental, who originally owned the trailer, had been ruled out

ByChloe Hughes
in Shropshire
  • Published

A trailer carrying 40 tonnes of construction and household waste has been dumped by a main road in Shropshire.

Telford and Wrekin Council said the Environment Agency was investigating and following several lines of enquiry relating to the trailer, which was left on the A41 Chester Road at Chetwynd Firs near Newport.

The authority added that the company whose name appears on the side of the vehicle, Grocontinental, was not connected to the incident, having sold the trailer a number of years ago.

The Environment Agency wants to hear from anyone who may have seen suspicious activity on Saturday 5 September.

It is believed the trailer was travelling west along the A41 towards Newport before being abandoned.

Telford and Wrekin Council added that the removal of the trailer would cost taxpayers "thousands of pounds".

This is not the first instance of abandoned vehicles on the same road.

The BBC reported on a number of trailers full of waste being left on the A41 and A53 in January 2025.

Motorists told the BBC then that the trailers, in a neighbouring local authority area, were left for months.

Following similar discoveries in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire in 2024, the Environment Agency speculated that the incidents could be related to organised crime, however this has not been confirmed in this case.

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