THE COTE D’AZUR: THE ILLEGAL TIPPING SCANDAL, TWO YEARS ON | France 2 | la suite

There’s a whiff of scandal floating over these few acres of countryside in the Var. When he goes out for a walk, Erik doesn’t spend his time admiring the superb view out over the nearby Mediterranean: he’s too busy showing the visitor evidence of the damage done to this particular part of pine forest according to him. Look at that concrete pillar. That’s not the remains of some Greco-Roman temple, but part of a footbridge that was demolished at the tax-payer’s expense. The contractor just dumped it like that, in the forest.” All around, Erik draws our attention to the trees practically buried in rubble. A valley has disappeared here under the tons of construction waste that has been tipped totally illegally. Two years ago, we revealed the existence of these fly-tipping sites that are changing the face of the interior countryside of the Var. What is the situation today? Our crew trailed some of the dumpster trucks loaded with rocks and concrete that are currently driving the roads of this tourist department. Have they changed their routes? Are they now heading for authorised sites where the waste should be stocked or recycled? Has the State stepped up its battle against the contractors who continue to treat the countryside as one giant dump?”