Residents plagued by foul smells and dust from waste sites helped
trigger enforcement action that led to two illegal waste sites
being shut down and an environmental permit being revoked in
Lancashire.
Environment Agency officerstook
action at Simonswood and Brothers Industrial Estates in
West Lancashire after complaints from local
residents. Operators were ordered to cease activity or face
prosecution.
The interventionwas one of dozens carried out as part of
Operation Unite, an 18-weeknationwideenforcement operation
targeting permitted waste sites suspected of being involved in
criminal activity the Agency announced today (Friday 24
July).
Launched in March, the operation sawEnvironment Agency
officersvisit42sitesacross England. Theoperation
resultedin17permits being suspended or their
revocation underway - and even both
- and over30 new criminal investigations
triggered.Investigators also gathered fresh intelligencethat will
keep the pressure on waste criminals for months to come.
Operation Unite forms a central part of the Environment Agency's
10-Point Plan to tackle waste crime andmarks a new, tougher
approach to enforcement. This committed to putting permits at
risk where involvement in waste crime was found, and its being
delivered on the ground.
By acting earlier, targeting high-risk operators and
responding to intelligence from local communities, the
Environment Agency is stepping up the fight against waste
criminals with further targeted operations already being
planned.
PhilipDuffy, Environment Agency's Chief Executive,
said:
Operation Unite sends a clear warning to waste criminals: the
days of operating under the radar are over.
This campaign has shown what is possible when we combine
intelligence, coordination and determination -
and it's just the beginning.
With more targeted operations planned, the pressure on waste
criminals will only intensify.
Environment Secretary, Dame , said:
Waste crime blights our communities, pollutes our environment and
cheats the businesses that do the right thing.
Tackling the scourge of waste crime is one of my top priorities,
and Operation Unite shows what robust, intelligence-led
enforcement action can achieve, and sends a clear signal that
those who break the rules will face the consequences.
Through our Waste Crime Action Plan, we are taking a
zero-tolerance approach, backed by £45 million of
funding for the Environment Agency to support enforcement
operations like this. I want to be clear to waste criminals: we
are coming for you.
The results from Operation Unite across
England demonstrate the breadth and impact of the
campaign.
On the outskirts of Chichester, Environment Agency teams carried
out a multi-agency compliance visit at Twyford Recycling Limited,
which processes waste tyres no longer viable to be
repaired.
Officers found multiple issues related to fire safety and a
heightened risk of pollution. As a result,
they immediately suspended their permit, meaning they
had to stop bringing waste on to their site while also being
forced to clear their site.
In early July, Environment Agency teams attended a major waste
management facility in
Hull operated by Transwaste Aggregates and
Recycling Limited. The company holdsan environmental permit to
accept and process more than 750,000 tonnes of hazardous and
non-hazardous waste each year. Inspectors identified a
significant fire risk and other non-compliances with
permit conditions, and required the company to address
these issues immediately.
When a subsequent multi-agency
operation found the company was still failing to
meet its obligations, the Environment Agency served a
suspension notice.
Faced with the full force of the Environment Agency's regulatory
action, Transwaste have taken action to
address the fire risk on site and the suspension
notice is being withdrawn. However, further works to ensure they
are compliant with their permit are required. The
Environment Agency is considering it's enforcement
response to ensure all remaining permit conditions are met, and
our officers will continue to monitor the site
closely.
In April, Environment Agency teams attended PB Donoghue
Construction Ltd in Watford, where
they identified multiple permit breaches
alongside a repeated failure to comply with clear
regulation.
Their permit was suspended while they took the necessary steps to
come back into compliance.
