The Environment Agency says two local men have been arrested as part of an investigation into a suspected large-scale illegal waste site at a farm on Coal Pit Lane near Middlewich, Cheshire. The agency asked Cheshire Police to assist with an arrest at the site on Friday 7 August, and both organisations attended as part of ongoing enforcement activity. A 69-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of waste offences and later released on bail pending further enquiries. Cheshire Police and the Environment Agency then carried out a planned follow-up operation at the same site on Monday 10 August, when a second local man, aged 37, was arrested on suspicion of waste offences. He has also been released on bail while the investigation continues.
According to the Environment Agency, the site contains significant volumes of green garden waste, construction waste, plastics, tyres, shredded material and mixed household waste. The material had been deposited on agricultural land next to the River Wheelock, which raises the case beyond a simple fly-tipping incident and into a broader environmental enforcement issue. The agency describes the site as the subject of an ongoing and complex investigation into suspected illegal activity. Cases of this kind often require detailed evidence gathering on how waste arrived, how it was stored and whether there is any risk to nearby land or water before regulators decide on the next enforcement step.
The timing is notable because the Environment Agency published its 10-point plan for tackling waste crime in March. That plan sets out a programme intended to strengthen prevention, improve detection and deliver more consistent enforcement. The Middlewich case is being presented by the agency as an example of that approach being applied on the ground. Area Environment Manager Caroline Berry said the arrests formed part of the investigation and described the current approach as faster and more targeted. Read alongside the 10-point plan, the operational activity suggests a stronger emphasis on early intervention, joint working with police forces and a more visible response at suspected illegal waste sites.
Cheshire Police has framed the case in similarly clear terms. Sergeant Robert Simpson of the force’s Rural Crime Team said waste crime is not harmless and can cause lasting environmental damage. That matters because it places illegal dumping within the wider category of rural offending that affects communities, land use and local environmental management. The case also shows how environmental regulation is often enforced through partnership rather than by a single authority acting alone. The Environment Agency brings regulatory expertise and site oversight, while the police can support arrests and criminal enquiries where suspected offences justify that step. For residents, the practical takeaway is that waste enforcement is becoming more coordinated.
The public guidance issued alongside the arrests is a central part of the story. Cheshire Police has urged residents and businesses to use legitimate waste removal companies and to ask to see a carrier’s licence before handing material over. The Environment Agency also advises anyone arranging disposal to check the public register of waste carriers, because operators who are not listed are acting illegally. That point is more than routine compliance advice. If waste is later traced back to the person who arranged its removal, what appeared to be a cheap collection can become a regulatory and financial problem. The wider objective is to reduce demand for unlawful disposal by making households, traders and firms more cautious about who is taking their waste away.
The Environment Agency has also attached a clear message for landowners. Owners of empty land and property are being told to inspect sites regularly and make sure access is secure, because they can be liable for illegal waste dumped on their land. In rural areas, where agricultural land may be harder to monitor continuously, that advice carries particular weight. For landowners in Cheshire and elsewhere, the Middlewich investigation is a reminder that illegal waste activity is not only an issue once dumping has occurred. Regulators are treating site security, routine checks and prompt reporting as basic preventative measures, especially where unused land may be vulnerable to repeated deposits.
The reporting route remains straightforward. The Environment Agency is asking the public to report illegal dumping, suspicious waste movements or burning, unlicensed operators and unusually cheap disposal offers either to Crimestoppers or through the agency’s incident line. The agency’s position is that every report helps build the intelligence picture needed for earlier action. Taken together, the arrests near Middlewich show how the Environment Agency’s waste crime plan is intended to operate: public reporting, joint enforcement activity and a clear statement that responsibility can extend beyond the individual who physically dumps the waste. No charges have been announced at this stage, and the investigation remains ongoing, but the enforcement direction is already clear.