Tim’s take:
Waste crime is one of those issues that rarely lands on a working farmer’s desk until it does. Illegal sites churning out smell, leachate and HGV traffic can poison a neighbourhood’s environment overnight, and the response from regulators has too often been measured in years rather than weeks. So when the Environment Agency flexes some muscle across 42 sites in 18 weeks and pulls 17 permits, anyone running a compliant operation should be quietly pleased rather than worried, because the more marginal operators are squeezed out the cleaner the legitimate trade looks.
The Lancashire bit is the human story here. Residents flagged foul smells and dust drifting from the Simonswood and Williams Brothers sites, and officers moved in, shut activity down and revoked a permit, with more than 30 criminal investigations now running off the back of the wider sweep. For farmers near similar hotspots, the lesson is plain: keep detailed complaint logs, photographs and timelines, because that intelligence is what triggered the visit in the first place.
What to watch next is whether the Environment Agency converts those 30-plus investigations into prosecutions that stick, and whether the intelligence pipeline they built through Operation Unite turns into a permanent rapid-response unit rather than another flash campaign. Worth reading the EA’s full report when it lands, and worth writing to your MP if you have a known rogue site within a few miles of your holding.
The Environment Agency has wrapped up Operation Unite, an 18-week enforcement sweep that hit 42 waste sites across England between March and July 2026.
What happened in the 18-week operation
The Environment Agency has wrapped up Operation Unite, an 18-week enforcement sweep that hit 42 waste sites across England between March and July 2026. Officers suspended or revoked 17 environmental permits, shut down two illegal waste sites in West Lancashire, and triggered more than 30 criminal investigations. The agency says fresh intelligence gathered during the visits will fuel further action in the months ahead.
The two Lancashire closures came after residents complained about foul smells and dust drifting from Simonswood and Williams Brothers Industrial Estates. Operators were ordered to stop activity or face prosecution, and an environmental permit at one of the sites was revoked. For locals who had logged complaints, the enforcement notice marked the first concrete result after years of putting up with contaminated air and HGV traffic on rural lanes.
Why this matters to farmers
Waste crime doesn’t stay on industrial estates. Illegal burning, fly-tipping, and leachate from rogue sites routinely contaminate ditches, field margins, and groundwater that livestock depends on. Farmers adjoining the Lancashire sites have reported dead grass, blocked watercourses, and stock refusing to drink from affected troughs. When the Environment Agency moves in, the cost of clean-up can fall on the landowner if the operator has vanished or dissolved the company, leaving farmers with a remediation bill running into tens of thousands of pounds.
The crackdown also matters because legitimate farm waste contractors are undercut by cowboys charging half the going rate to dump rubble, plastic, or slurry on agricultural land. Every load tipped illegally is a load the compliant operator didn’t get, and the price farmers pay for skip hire or muck-away reflects that. The Agency’s 10-Point Plan, of which Operation Unite is the centrepiece, commits to putting permits at risk where crime is found. That levels the playing field for the compliant operators who issue the waste-transfer notes farmers rely on for their own compliance records.
£45m funding and what’s coming next
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle has confirmed £45 million of funding for the Environment Agency to back enforcement operations like this one, delivered through the government’s Waste Crime Action Plan. Chief Executive Philip Duffy said the campaign ‘sends a clear warning to waste criminals’ and that ‘the days of operating under the radar are over’, with more targeted operations already in the pipeline. The Agency is also asking for the public’s help: residents near waste sites are being urged to report smells, dust, fly-tipping, and unusual HGV movements via the 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
For farmers, the operational detail matters. Inspections are now intelligence-led, meaning the Agency is acting on tip-offs rather than waiting for sites to be reported by the regulator. That speeds up enforcement but also means a single complaint from a neighbouring farmer can trigger a site visit within weeks. If you’re a landowner with a tenant running a waste operation, or if you’ve taken on land previously used for waste storage, expect scrutiny. Permits can be revoked with little warning where evidence of crime is found, and the cost of clearing a non-compliant site falls on whoever holds the lease at the time of the order.
What This Means for Farmers
The direct impact on most working farms will be modest, but the indirect effects are real. A tighter enforcement regime should push up the cost of illegal waste disposal, which means compliant muck-away, slurry spreading, and skip-hire services become more competitive. It also reduces the risk of buying straw, hay, or farmyard manure contaminated with waste residue, an under-reported route for pollutants to enter the food chain.
The bigger risk sits with farmers who rent out land, barns, or hardstanding for waste storage or processing. If the operator loses their permit or faces prosecution, the landowner can be served with a clean-up notice under Section 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Check any tenancy or licence agreement for an environmental indemnity clause, and make sure your insurance covers pollution liability. Standard farm combined policies often exclude waste-related contamination, so a specialist policy or extension may be worth the premium if you’ve got tenants in this space.
What to Do Next
1. If you suspect illegal waste activity on or near your land, call the Environment Agency hotline on 0800 80 70 60. Calls are anonymous and the Agency has shown it acts on tip-offs within weeks.
2. Audit any current waste contractors. Ask for their carrier registration number (upper-tier), waste-transfer notes within the statutory deadlines, and a copy of their environmental permit if they operate a site. If they can’t produce these, find another contractor.
3. If you let land or buildings for waste use, review the lease. Make sure it includes an environmental indemnity, requires the tenant to hold pollution liability insurance with a minimum indemnity of £5m, and obliges them to share copies of all permits and compliance reports.
4. Keep records. Photograph fly-tipping with a timestamp, note vehicle registrations, and report incidents online at gov.uk/report-flytipping. The data feeds directly into the intelligence picture that drives operations like this one.
5. If you’ve been affected by pollution from a neighbouring waste site, contact the Agency’s local team and ask to be kept informed of any permit review. The Lancashire case shows residents can be the trigger for enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Operation Unite?
Operation Unite is an 18-week nationwide enforcement operation run by the Environment Agency between March and July 2026, targeting permitted waste sites suspected of criminal activity. It forms part of the Agency’s 10-Point Plan to tackle waste crime.
How many sites were inspected and how many permits pulled?
Officers inspected 42 waste sites across England, suspended or revoked 17 environmental permits, shut down two illegal sites in Lancashire, and triggered more than 30 criminal investigations.
How do I report suspected waste crime?
Call the Environment Agency 24/7 incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60, or report fly-tipping online at gov.uk/report-flytipping. Reports can be made anonymously and feed the intelligence picture used to target operations.
What funding is behind the crackdown?
The government has committed £45 million to the Environment Agency to support enforcement operations through the Waste Crime Action Plan, according to Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle.
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Source: Defra
