Category #WasteCrime   Show all

• Multi-Agency Operation against Waste Crime - 19 March 2026

  On Thursday 19 March the Environment Agency led an operation at Throckmorton Industrial Park, Worcestershire working alongside officers from West Mercia Police’s Evesham Rural Safer Neighbourhood team and the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). The activity forms part of a wider national initiative to tackle environmental crime and disrupt illegal waste operations.

  During the enforcement action, the Environment Agency seized an HGV and a JCB bucket loader suspected of being used in unlawful waste activity.

  An officer from the Environment Agency emphasised the importance of joint working, and that by “Working with local councils and the police force in Worcestershire, we will stay one step ahead of waste criminals and protect the communities, businesses and environment that they blight.”

  Dave Wise, Safer Neighbourhood Inspector for West Mercia Police, said: This operation shows what can be achieved through a coordinated partnership approach. “The Environment Agency has significant powers to disrupt illegal waste activity, including, in the appropriate circumstances, the seizure of vehicles and machinery suspected to be used in offending. “Our role is to support and enable that action where it will have the greatest impact. “By combining intelligence, enforcement and a visible policing presence, we are not just responding to offending but making it harder for those involved to operate.”

  Anyone who suspects illegal waste activity is asked to report it to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour hotline - 0800 80 70 60 - or anonymously contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.