Lancashire complaints help shut two illegal waste sites

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-07-24 10:01 3 min read

Large piles of dumped waste at an illegal landfill site near a street light.

Seventeen environmental permits were suspended, moved towards revocation or subjected to both measures after a nationwide sweep of 42 waste sites in England. More than 30 criminal investigations were opened, while complaints about foul smells and dust in West Lancashire helped trigger action that shut two illegal sites and led to one permit being revoked.

The figures were published by the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs on 24 July 2026. They record regulatory action and investigations, not criminal convictions; the investigations will determine whether offences can be proved.

42 sites inspected and more than 30 investigations opened

Operation Unite was an 18-week enforcement campaign launched in March. Environment Agency officers targeted permitted waste sites suspected of involvement in criminal activity, using intelligence gathered from communities and other sources to identify higher-risk operators.

Officers visited 42 sites across England. Action affecting 17 permits included suspension, revocation proceedings or both, while evidence gathered during the inspections prompted more than 30 new criminal investigations.

Lancashire complaints help shut two illegal waste sites

The agency said officers also collected intelligence that could support enforcement work in the coming months. The results do not mean every inspected operator committed an offence, but they show that concerns at a substantial number of sites were serious enough to require permit action or further investigation.

West Lancashire complaints led to direct action

Residents living near Simonswood Industrial Estate and Williams Brothers Industrial Estate had reported foul smells and dust from waste operations. Their complaints contributed to Environment Agency intervention at the two locations.

Operators were ordered to stop activity or face prosecution. The action resulted in two illegal waste sites being closed and an environmental permit being revoked, removing the operators’ authority to continue the affected activity.

For neighbouring communities, the immediate effect is tighter control over the sites that generated the complaints. The release does not provide monitoring results showing whether local dust or odour levels have since changed, so the longer-term environmental effect has not yet been quantified.

The Lancashire cases also demonstrate how reports from residents can become part of enforcement intelligence. The Environment Agency said Operation Unite was designed to act earlier and respond more directly to information from affected communities.

Fire risks brought permit suspensions elsewhere

On the outskirts of Chichester, a multi-agency inspection at Twyford Recycling Limited found several fire-safety issues and what officers described as a heightened pollution risk. The company’s permit was suspended immediately, stopping it from accepting more waste while requiring the site to be cleared.

In Hull, inspectors visited a major facility operated by Transwaste Aggregates and Recycling Limited, which is permitted to receive and process more than 750,000 tonnes of hazardous and non-hazardous waste annually. Officers identified a significant fire risk and other breaches of permit conditions.

A later multi-agency operation found that obligations were still not being met, prompting a suspension notice. The company subsequently acted to address the fire risk, and the notice was being withdrawn, although further work remained necessary and the Environment Agency said it was considering its response to the outstanding compliance issues.

At PB Donoghue Construction Ltd in Watford, officers identified multiple permit breaches and repeated failures to comply with regulation. Its permit was suspended in April while the company took steps to return to compliance.

Further targeted operations are being planned

Operation Unite forms part of the Environment Agency’s 10-Point Plan for tackling waste crime, under which permits can be put at risk when criminal involvement is identified. Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan was backed by £45 million for Environment Agency enforcement.

Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy described the campaign as the beginning of a tougher programme rather than a one-off sweep. Officers will continue monitoring the Hull facility while further targeted operations against suspected waste crime are prepared.

Source: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs News

Context & actions About this article

Source check Source trail

The reported figures, locations and regulatory actions were checked against the government release published on 24 July 2026.

Checks

Confirmed that Operation Unite covered 42 sites across England.
Distinguished more than 30 criminal investigations from convictions.
Checked the permit actions reported in West Lancashire, Chichester, Hull and Watford.
Retained the source’s caveat that further compliance work remains at the Hull facility.

Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affair... Check wider reporting