A new 33-strong drone unit is being deployed to investigate the scourge of illegal waste dumping across England, the government has announced.

The improvements to the investigation of illegal waste dumping – which costs the UK economy £1bn a year – come as the ringleader of a major waste crime gang was ordered to pay £1.4m after being convicted at Birmingham crown court.

Varun Datta, 36, from London, was responsible for the organised illegal dumping of mostly municipal waste at a network of 16 sites across the country, including at a historic manor house and a nature reserve in Lancashire.

Datta – described as a “prolific waste criminal” – was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to pay £1.1m, reflecting the financial benefit from his crimes, plus £100,000 in compensation and £200,000 in prosecution costs.

On Friday the government announced a set of new tougher measures to tackle illegal waste dumping.

It will step up its use of drones, with the introduction of a new 33-strong drone team. Some drones will be equipped with light detection and ranging (lidar) technology, which can create highly detailed maps of illegal waste sites.

The Environment Agency, which holds the responsibility for investigating waste crime, has increased the size of its joint investigations unit to 20 specialists.

Phil Davies, the head of the joint unit for waste crime, said: “With organised criminals becoming ever more sophisticated, we are adopting new technologies to find and, importantly, stop them. Through the greater use of drones, stronger partnerships and more officers on the ground, we will build on our action so far and send a clear message to those committing waste crimes – we will stop you.”

The EA secured a major victory against Datta when he was convicted last week after pleading guilty to knowingly causing controlled waste to be deposited at 16 sites. The weight of the waste totalled about 4,275 tonnes, and the illegal dumps were spread across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Lancashire, Kent, Surrey, Rutland and Middlesbrough.

Datta was convicted along with two other men. Two further suspects are still being hunted.

Judge Paul Farrer KC said at the sentencing the crimes were reckless. “Smell and flies were a feature at some of the illegal sites and caused a localised adverse effect to air quality,” he said. Landowners had been forced to incur substantial costs to remove the illegal waste, he added.

He gave Datta a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, as well as 30 days’ rehabilitation and 200 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard that Datta became a registered waste broker through his company, Atkins Recycling Ltd, in 2015. He acted recklessly by claiming the waste the company handled was being sent to a legal site at Kiveton Park, near Sheffield. However, the loads were actually diverted to unlicensed dumps around the country, the court heard.

The Middleton nature reserve in Lancashire was one of the locations where waste was dumped. Part of the £100,000 compensation is intended to be used to restore the reserve.

Mohammed Saraji Bashir, 45, of Peterborough, who pleaded guilty to knowingly causing controlled waste to be deposited at three sites, was also given a suspended four-month prison sentence, 30 days of rehabilitation activity and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Robert William McAllister, 55, of Northwood, London, had pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the duty of care imposed on brokers of waste in relation to controlled waste that was deposited at two sites. He was fined £750.