Cave's Inn Pits
Where is the site?
Cave's Inn Pits is a 5.8-hectare (14-acre) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the Leicestershire/Warwickshire border near the village of Shawell.
What has the Environment Agency done to date?
We have launched an investigation with Natural England into the potential illegal waste dumping at this site. The site is believed to hold approximately 30,000 tonnes of shredded waste in layers with soil used to cover it.
Alongside the criminal investigation, the Environment Agency is assessing the waste to ensure there are no further environmental impacts, as well as monitoring local air and water quality.
The public are urged to stay away from the site whilst the investigation is ongoing.
The Environment Agency is appealing for anyone with information to come forward and report it to their incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Timeline
The Environment Agency visited the site on 20 April 2026 alongside Natural England to find that waste had been deposited in a pool which has been designated as a SSSI.
The Environment Agency has since been making regular visits to the site to investigate this crime and to assess the environmental impact.