Arrest over large-scale waste dumping in North West
On Saturday 6 December 2025, officers from the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) worked with Lancashire Police’s south rural taskforce and the National Crime Agency to arrest a 56-year-old man on suspicion of large-scale dumping along roadsides and lay-bys. The Environment Agency says a vehicle believed to be used in the offences has been seized, with linked investigations under way in Lancashire, Cheshire and Merseyside. The arrest was confirmed in an Agency press release on 12 December.
Why this matters to you and your students is simple: illegal dumping blights places people use every day and drains public money. Defra’s official figures show 1.15 million fly‑tipping incidents in England in 2023/24, including 47,000 tipper‑lorry‑sized or larger cases that cost councils £13.1 million to clear. Household waste made up 60% of all incidents and highways remained the most common location. The Environment Agency also dealt with 103 large‑scale dumping incidents last year.
So what exactly is “waste crime”? The Environment Agency lists offences such as running a site without a permit, transporting waste without a carrier registration, large‑scale dumping from vehicles, illegal burial or burning, and the illicit export of waste. Knowing these definitions helps you spot when something is more than a minor litter issue.
If you witness dumping or find a serious environmental risk, don’t intervene. Note the time, location and any vehicle details, and call the Environment Agency’s 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60. For organised waste crime, you can share information anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Routine fly‑tipping on council land should be reported to your local council’s service.
You also have a legal responsibility when paying someone to take your rubbish. Before you hand over money, check they’re on the Environment Agency’s public register and, for businesses, that they’re registered in the ‘upper tier’. Ask for a registration number-most begin with “CB”-and keep basic evidence of who took your waste and when. You can be fined if you give waste to an unregistered collector, even if you didn’t dump it yourself. What this means: we all have to choose licensed carriers and keep simple proof.
A quick two‑minute check goes a long way. Open the Environment Agency’s public register, search the company name or CB number, and make sure the status is active and the trading name and postcode match what you’re told. If details don’t line up, stop the job and contact the Agency for advice before you proceed.
Authorities are scaling up their response. The JUWC, hosted by the Environment Agency, brings together 12 partners including the police, HMRC and the National Crime Agency. By September 2025 it had led or attended 361 multi‑agency days of action, resulting in 186 arrests by partner agencies, and the unit has recently doubled in size to focus on the worst offenders.
If waste is dumped on your land, you’ll usually need to arrange lawful removal. Photograph the scene from a safe distance, avoid disturbing hazardous material, and if there’s an immediate risk to people or the environment, call the Environment Agency hotline first. Councils normally handle fly‑tipping on public land; private landowners must dispose of waste properly to avoid penalties.
For classrooms and youth groups, try turning this story into a civic exercise. Map how waste is handled where you live, practise checking a real carrier on the register together, and draft a sample incident note using who, what, where, when and how. The goal is confident, safe reporting-not confrontation.
If you have information about shredded waste dumped on roads or private property linked to the North West incidents since early December, the Environment Agency wants to hear from you on 0800 80 70 60. You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Clear notes and safe photos can help investigators connect the dots.