Our top waste crime stories

The Environment Agency has successfully prosecuted a recycling company for attempting to illegally export plastics contaminated with household waste. MV Recycling (UK) Ltd has been fined after attempting to illegally export plastics contaminated with household waste – including sanitary products and nappies – three times in one year. The company pleaded guilty to all three charges related to the exports and was ordered to pay £30,400 in fines and prosecution costs.

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For the first time, a national watchlist of waste sites in England has been published, as part of the Environment Agency’s enhanced response to tackle the issue. The watchlist published today (Friday 22 May 2026) contributes to the Environment Agency’s enhanced intelligence gathering of the 117 sites to enable residents to see where we are acting. It forms a central part of the Environment Agency’s 10 Point Plan to tackle waste crime, a comprehensive strategy that places transparency and community engagement at its core, while enlisting the public’s help in identifying and reporting criminal activity.

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Arrest demonstrates Environment Agency's commitment to delivering its 10 Point Plan to tackle waste crime. A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into large-scale, illegal dumping of waste at multiple sites across England, including the notorious Bolton House Road in Wigan. Officers from West Midlands Police, working in support of the Environment Agency, secured the arrest of the suspect. A 58-year-old male from the Birmingham area was arrested for environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.

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Waste carrier DTM Grab Hire Ltd has been told to pay out £16,664 after thousands of tonnes of waste were dumped on a floodplain. The Environment Agency has now prosecuted the landowner of the site and two waste carriers as part of the investigation. Plymouth Magistrates Court heard that DTM Grab Hire Ltd deposited 3,490 tonnes of soil, stones and road planings at the illegal site between 3 January 2021 and 11 September 2021.

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New reforms are set to tighten the net on waste criminals with tougher sentences for those illegally dumping waste, and advanced background checks to help put rogue operators out of business. As part of the major crackdown on waste criminals, underpinned by the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan, laws being laid this week will require waste handlers to prove they are qualified to transport waste.

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The Environment Agency has stopped illegal waste activity in its tracks at a site near Chesterfield. The intervention at the former industrial site at Wingerworth followed reports from the public about illegal waste dumping. Environment Agency officers made enquiries on Thursday 30 April following public reports the previous day of suspicious activity at the derelict site. They found around 100 tonnes of household waste had been deposited or buried on the site.

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The Environment Agency has blocked access to land in Lancashire to prevent the illegal dumping of waste. A court order is now in place prohibiting anyone from importing waste onto the site at Hey Head Farm, Rochdale Road, at Bacup. The Restriction Order was obtained at Lancaster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 28 April and will last six months until 27 October 2026. Access to the land is also prohibited, subject to certain exceptions. Anyone breaching the order is committing a criminal offence. A criminal investigation into illegal waste activity is ongoing.

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Fly-tippers could lose their driving licence if they are caught blighting streets or the countryside with waste now that powerful legislation is set to come into force giving the courts new powers. The measures are part of the Policing and Crime Act and mean that those who repeatedly break the law and accumulate 12 or more points within a three-year period will be at risk of disqualification from driving altogether, acting as a tough deterrent against dumping waste illegally. In some instances, offenders may get 9 points for a single incident. The move is a central part of the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan, which sets out a wide-ranging crackdown on waste criminals, from those dumping rubbish on high streets and roadsides to operators running large illegal waste sites.

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The Environment Agency has blocked access to land in rural Northumberland following reports of illegal dumping and burning of waste. A court order is now in place prohibiting anyone from importing waste onto the site at Old Swarland and concrete blocks stop vehicles accessing the site. The Restriction Order was obtained at Bedlington Magistrates’ Court on Monday 27 April and will last six months. It follows reports of waste dumping and fires burning on the land over recent months, impacting on the local community. An investigation into this is ongoing.

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The Environment Agency, working with Natural England, has launched an investigation into the large-scale, illegal dumping of waste at the Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Shawell, Leicestershire. The site is well-concealed but on receiving reports of odours from the public, Environment Agency and Natural England officers visited the site last week. They discovered significant amounts of household waste had been dumped at the site, causing pollution to the SSSI. The site is believed to hold approximately 30,000 tonnes of shredded waste in layers with soil used to cover it. The public are urged to stay away from the site whilst the investigation is ongoing.

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