Operation cracks down on waste crime in Cumbria

Operation cracks down on waste crime in Cumbria
The Environment Agency has led a major multi-agency operation to tackle waste crime in Cumbria.
Across the two days on July 6 and 7, 2026, a traffic stop operation targeting vehicles carrying waste took place at Todhills in Carlisle, while three waste sites were inspected.
The traffic checks - with Cumberland Council and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) – focused on whether waste was being transported lawfully, and if carriers had the correct licences and paperwork.
Several significant breaches were identified during the operation - a number of waste carriers stopped during the checks were found to be flouting legal requirements for transporting waste.
The Environment Agency will investigate further as well as following up intelligence with connected waste sites. They will take robust enforcement action against those found to be breaking the law.
Permitted sites visited
The Environment Agency also joined forces with the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to carry out checks at three permitted waste sites.
Officers visited North West Recycling Limited at Rockliffe Estate, Carlisle, and JJC Hire Limited and Sinkfall Recycling, both in Barrow in Furness, across the two days.
The compliance inspections checked whether the sites were meeting the conditions of their environmental permits. Follow up actions will be taken by the Environment Agency where appropriate.
The action in Cumbria comes as the Environment Agency steps up its action on waste crime as part of its new 10 Point Plan to tackle waste crime - a focused, sustained programme of action that builds on existing partnerships to strengthen prevention, improve detection, and deliver more consistent enforcement.
Aaron Wood, an Environment Agency Waste Team Leader in Cumbria and Lancashire, said:
Waste crime causes real harm to communities and together with other agencies we are determined to stop it.
Joint partnership operations such as this helps us disrupt operations across the waste sector and gather intelligence.
Where we find evidence of suspected illegal activity or breaches of regulation we will not hesitate to take action.
Things people can do to help:
- Check the public register of waste carriers before paying anyone to take waste away. If they are not on the register, they are operating illegally.
- Landowners should ensure they check any empty land and property regularly to make sure it is secure. They can be liable for illegal waste dumped on their land.
- Report suspected waste crime. Every report helps build the picture that enables earlier action. Report illegal dumping, suspicious waste movements or burning, unlicensed operators, or unusually cheap disposal offers to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or the Environment Agency incident line on 0800 807060.
Background
On the JUWC:
The JUWC, hosted by the Environment Agency, was formed in 2020 to tackle serious and organised crime in the waste sector.
Since then, it has grown to include 12 partners:
- Environment Agency
- Natural Resources Wales
- Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
- Northern Ireland Environment Agency
- His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
- Police
- National Fire Chiefs Council
- British Transport Police
- National Crime Agency
- Revenue Scotland
- Welsh Revenue Authority
- Environmental Services Association
- Chartered Institute for Waste Management