The government has confirmed that the Environment Agency (EA) will directly fund the clearance of three large illegal waste sites in England as part of a new waste crime action plan. The sites-at Bickershaw near Wigan, an industrial location in Sheffield, and a tip in Hyndburn, Lancashire-together hold an estimated 48,000 tonnes of waste. Separately, removal of roughly 20,000 tonnes at Kidlington, Oxfordshire, is already under way through an EA-awarded contract, with costs reported in excess of £9 million. (engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com)
At Bickershaw, where a major fire last summer forced local school closures and intensified public health concerns, the regulator has already moved to constrain activity on the site. A court restriction order is in place and Wigan Council has let a contract for adjacent Diggle Flash works to prepare safe access, remove thousands of tonnes to permitted facilities and complete reprofiling and restoration. (gov.uk)
For the Sheffield and Hyndburn locations, officials say site-specific assessments will confirm logistics and safety before works begin. The two sites were prioritised following recent disclosures about “supersites” across England and will proceed to detailed planning under the action plan’s new clearance route. (yahoo.com)
Not all large sites will be cleared immediately. Over, near Gloucester-highlighted by Highnam Parish Council after a June 2025 fire-has not been selected. Local representatives continue to press for faster regulatory action, citing persistent odour, pests and the risk of run-off to nearby watercourses. (highnamparishcouncil.gov.uk)
The action plan sets out an earlier and firmer enforcement posture. The EA will intervene when large illegal sites are identified and use existing powers to shut down unlawful operations without warning. Failure to comply with a restriction or stop notice is a criminal offence under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 and can result in prosecution and custodial sentences. Recent EA operations have also demonstrated immediate physical closure of sites using gates, blocks and on‑site warnings. (legislation.gov.uk)
Resourcing is being strengthened. Ministers state that the EA’s waste crime enforcement budget for 2025/26 has increased by more than 50% to £15.6 million, supporting extra specialist staff and a reinforced Joint Unit for Waste Crime. In February the Agency announced expanded surveillance and investigative capabilities, including enhanced drone operations and data‑led targeting. (hansard.parliament.uk)
Sanctions will tighten around fly‑tipping. Proposals in Parliament would allow courts to apply penalty points to driving licences for convicted fly‑tippers, alongside existing fines, vehicle seizure and destruction powers. The government has also emphasised visible justice through Community Payback and other unpaid work requirements for offenders. (hansard.parliament.uk)
Finance and liability are central to delivery. While polluters and landowners are normally responsible for clearance, ministers judge that the most egregious sites merit publicly funded intervention. Government and HM Treasury have previously explored mechanisms to reduce landfill tax as a barrier to remediation by public bodies, including grant or rebate models for illegal deposits. (gov.uk)
Councils stepping in will still need to meet procurement and waste duty‑of‑care requirements, maintain evidence chains and communicate temporary traffic, odour and noise controls to residents. The Wigan award illustrates the practical scope-secure access, vegetation clearance, controlled excavation and haulage to permitted facilities, followed by safe reprofiling and restoration. (find-tender.service.gov.uk)
For policy teams, the plan dovetails with the Environmental Improvement Plan commitment to roll out digital waste tracking from October 2026 for receiving sites, narrowing opportunities for misdescription and illegal diversion through verifiable, near‑real‑time movement records. (gov.uk)
Scrutiny is likely to intensify. The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee has called for an independent review of the national response to waste crime, citing the scale of organised offending and uneven outcomes. Progress on the action plan will be judged against clear metrics: site clearances initiated, prosecutions secured and reductions in active high‑risk sites. (committees.parliament.uk)
Next steps include the EA completing feasibility checks at the Sheffield and Hyndburn sites and publishing operational timetables. For communities living next to the three selected sites, the near‑term reality will be months of heavy vehicle movements; the long‑term gain is reduced fire risk, fewer vermin and odour, and the recovery of land for safer use. (find-tender.service.gov.uk)