Multi-agency crackdown on waste crime across East Lancashire

Multi-agency crackdown on waste crime across East Lancashire
Led by the Environment Agency - more than 35 officers from five organisations took part in an intelligence-led operation.
- Stolen goods, including construction machinery worth £25,000, recovered by Lancashire Police.
- Five suspected illegal waste sites visited as investigations into organised waste criminality continue.
On Thursday 23 July, more than 35 officers joined forces in a major multi-agency operation targeting organised waste crime across Bacup and Burnley. The officers were from the Environment Agency, Lancashire Police, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Burnley Council and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
Led by the Environment Agency, the coordinated operation aimed to disrupt illegal waste activity, gather intelligence and identify offences linked to organised waste crime.
The operation involved officers from Lancashire Police’s Rossendale Rural Task Force, Ribble Valley Rural Task Force, Burnley Urban Task Force, Rossendale Neighbourhood Policing Team, Road Policing Unit and Stolen Vehicle Unit. An Environment Agency drone was also deployed to support activity on the ground.
A Day of Action
Across the day, officers stopped 28 waste vehicles through roadside and roaming enforcement checks and visited five suspected illegal waste sites. They also identified two previously unknown illegal waste sites, which are now under investigation.
The operation also resulted in the recovery of a stolen telehandler valued at approximately £25,000, along with two stolen vehicles, a stolen skip, a dumper truck and a trailer. Officers also gathered information and intelligence to support ongoing investigations into waste offences.
John Neville, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:
Waste crime is far from a victimless offence. It harms communities, damages the environment, undermines legitimate businesses and is often linked to wider organised criminality.
This operation demonstrates the strength of partnership working and our shared determination to tackle those who seek to profit from environmental crime.
By bringing together specialist officers from a number of organisations, we have been able to disrupt illegal activity, recover stolen property, identify new illegal waste sites and gather valuable intelligence to support ongoing investigations.
We will continue working closely with our partners to protect communities, support legitimate businesses and ensure those responsible for waste crime are held to account.
Chief Inspector Philip Brown, Local Policing, Lancashire Constabulary, said:
Waste crime is not a victimless offence. It can have a significant impact on local communities, the environment and legitimate businesses.
This joint day of action demonstrates our commitment to working closely with the Environment Agency and partner organisations to tackle those who seek to profit from illegal waste activity.
By combining our resources and expertise, we can identify offenders, disrupt organised criminality and help keep our communities safe and clean.
Stephen Williamson, Environment Taxes Compliance at HMRC, said:
We’re committed to working with partners to combat waste crime and we use a range of civil and criminal powers to collect the tax that’s due.
Our officers conducted checks for unlawful waste disposal at a number of sites, gathering crucial information to help crack down on this scourge.
We urge anyone with information about any type of tax fraud to report it to us on GOV.UK.
Marian Kitson, DVSA Director of Enforcement said:
Illegally operated vehicles create a dangerous environment for everyone on Britain’s roads.
We’re pleased to have worked in partnership on this multi-agency operation with the Environment Agency and Lancashire Police, taking firm action against drivers and operators who flout the law.
DVSA works closely with other enforcement agencies to keep our roads safe and will not hesitate to take the strongest possible action against anyone who does not take their responsibilities seriously.
A Senior Environmental Officer at Burnley Borough Council said:
On Thursday 23 July, one of our Enforcement Officers joined colleagues from Lancashire Police and the Environment Agency for a joint day of action targeting vehicles suspected of carrying waste.
Vehicles were stopped and checked to make sure they had the correct documentation and were transporting waste legally.
Working alongside our partners like this is a really effective way of tackling waste crime. It allows us to identify those who aren’t complying with the law while supporting the many legitimate waste carriers who are.
We’ll continue carrying out this kind of joint enforcement activity to protect our communities and hold offenders to account.
Cracking down on waste criminals
Waste crime includes operating illegal waste sites, transporting waste without the correct authorisations, burning waste unlawfully and illegally dumping waste. These offences can cause significant environmental harm, impact local communities and are often linked to wider organised criminality.
The Environment Agency works closely with police forces, local authorities and other partner organisations to disrupt waste crime through intelligence-led enforcement activity and coordinated operations such as this. Tackling waste crime remains a priority because of the harm it causes to communities, the environment and legitimate businesses.
This action follows the Environment Agency’s Operation Unite an 18‑week nationwide enforcement campaign targeting permitted waste sites as part of its ongoing efforts to tackle waste crime.
Anyone with information about suspected waste crime is encouraged to report it to the Environment Agency’s 24-hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.