Man arrested over illegal waste tips across England

A man has been arrested in connection with the large-scale illegal dumping of waste at sites across England.

The Environment Agency (EA), supported by West Midlands Police, has been investigating several sites including one in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

West Midlands Police have arrested a 58-year-old man from the Birmingham area in connection with environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.

He has now been released on conditional bail pending further investigation, an EA spokesperson said.

Ian Crewe, the EA's area director for Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire said: "The illegal dumping at sites across England are an attack on our communities, and the Environment Agency shares their disgust at these horrendous crimes.

"Our teams have been working relentlessly on this investigation, and yesterday's arrest is a vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing it further."

The Bolton House Road site in Wigan has been building up since October 2024 and was the scene of a fire that burned for more than a week in July 2025.

It has also been the subject of multiple complaints from residents about the stench.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: "We are cracking down on waste criminals - putting an end to the damage they cause, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, putting more boots on the ground and giving stronger powers to our enforcement teams.

"If you dump waste illegally, we will come after you."

The EA said it had published a 10-point plan to tackle waste crime, outlining how it would act earlier to address illegal activity and deliver more consistent enforcement action.

This will include setting up a new Operational Waste Intelligence and Analysis Unit "to hunt down waste criminals using every tool available - from aerial surveillance to financial data - and ensure enforcement is faster and smarter".

The spokesperson added: "For the first time, illegal waste operators will be named and shamed with information shared across the waste sector to put waste criminals on notice."

The government recently announced it would directly fund the clean-up of the Bolton House Road site in Wigan.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs officials have met local residents to discuss the clean-up plans and carry out further assessments.

The EA spokesperson said "robust action has been taken at the Bolton House Road site to ensure no additional waste is dumped illegally" including by depositing concrete blocks at the entrance of the site by the local authority.

Any information can be reported to the Environment Agency via its 24-hour incident hotline at 0800 807060 or anonymously via CrimeStoppers.

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