For the first time, a national watchlist of waste sites in England has been published, as part of the Environment Agency’s enhanced response to tackle the issue.
The watchlist published today (Friday 22 May 2026) contributes to the Environment Agency’s enhanced intelligence gathering of the 117 sites to enable residents to see where we are acting.
It forms a central part of the Environment Agency’s 10 Point Plan to tackle waste crime, a comprehensive strategy that places transparency and community engagement at its core, while enlisting the public’s help in identifying and reporting criminal activity. This builds on action being taken including to address illegal activity before it becomes more firmly established – such as when a permit was revoked and two waste sites shut down in West Lancashire.
Waste crime is an ever-evolving picture. The Environment Agency will keep the list under review every month as part of its ongoing action to track waste sites. The public are encouraged to step forward if they have any concerns about those sites listed.
Philip Duffy, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said
Waste crime is a serious blight on our communities and our environment, and it is overwhelmingly driven by individuals who have no regard for the damage they cause.
Publishing this watchlist is a deliberate act of transparency – communities need to know that we are acting, and we want those committing these crimes to know that we are coming for them.
We are using every tool at our disposal to find those responsible and encourage anyone with information to come forward.
For sites presenting lower levels of risk, the Environment Agency is working to bring them into compliance through regulatory action and engagement. Sites that present serious risks will receive intensive attention, which can include intelligence-gathering and full criminal investigations.
As the Environment Agency cannot prejudice ongoing enquiries and any associated enforcement action, the level of detail published in the watchlist is restricted.
Investigations do deliver results as seen this week with the Environment Agency arresting a man for illegal waste dumping at several sites, including at Bolton House Road in Wigan, with the support of West Midlands Police. Teams are also continuing the clean-up operations for the illegal waste sites in Kidlington and Hoads Wood.
Whether any activity is illegal is ultimately a matter for the Courts to decide; however, it is important that communities have access to information about sites in their area that may be of concern. The Environment Agency will share more details on individual sites as it becomes available – with a view to releasing any site-specific information, which is appropriate to share publicly, by summer 2026.
Accurate local information to effectively tackle waste crime is critical in protecting people and the environment from any potential risks.
The Environment Agency is therefore urging people across England to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity involving waste – including about any of the sites included in the watchlist, or suspect illegal waste activity anywhere – to its incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their website.
Tips and intelligence from communities play a direct role in identifying illegal operators and protecting the environment. The smallest piece of information can help build a clearer picture and make a real difference to our investigations.
In March, the government published its Waste Crime Action Plan, setting out a zero-tolerance approach with sweeping measures to take the fight to waste criminals. This includes issuing penalty points for drivers found to have illegally dumped waste, and giving the Environment Agency police-style powers to clamp down on offenders faster.
More information and an FAQs can be found in our ‘Creating a Better Place’ blog.
