LONDON, July 24 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
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 officers took actionatSimonswoodand Williams Brothers Industrial Estates in West Lancashire aftercomplaintsfromlocal residents. Operators were ordered to cease activity or face prosecution.
The intervention was one of dozens carried out as part of Operation Unite, an 18-week nationwide enforcement operation targeting permitted waste sites suspected of being involved in criminal activity the Agency announced today (Friday 24 July).
Launched in March, the operation saw Environment Agency officers visit 42 sites across England. The operation resulted in 17 permits being suspended or their revocationunderway - and even both -andover 30newcriminalinvestigations triggered. Investigators also gathered fresh intelligence that 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 and marks 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-riskoperatorsand responding to intelligence from local communities, the Environment Agency is stepping up the fight against waste criminals - with further targeted operations already being planned.
Philip Duffy, 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,coordinationand determination - andit'sjust the beginning.
With more targeted operations planned, the pressure on waste criminals will only intensify.
Environment Secretary, Dame Angela Eagle, 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 £45millionof 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 Englanddemonstratethe 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 longerviableto be repaired.
Officers found multiple issues related to fire safety and a heightened risk of pollution. As a result, theyimmediatelysuspended 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 HulloperatedbyTranswasteAggregates and Recycling Limited. The company holds an environmental permit to accept and process more than 750,000 tonnes of hazardous and non-hazardous waste each year. Inspectorsidentifieda significant fire risk and other non-compliances with permitconditions, andrequired the company to address these issuesimmediately.
When asubsequentmulti-agency operationfoundthe company was stillfailing to meetits obligations, the Environment Agency served a suspension notice.
Faced with the full force of the Environment Agency's regulatory action,Transwastehavetaken action to addressthe fire risk onsiteand the suspension notice is being withdrawn. However, further works to ensure they are compliant with their permit arerequired. The Environment Agency is consideringit'senforcement response to ensure all remaining permit conditions are met, and our officers will continue tomonitorthe site closely.
In April, Environment Agency teams attended P B Donoghue Construction (Watford) Limited, where theyidentifiedmultiplepermitbreaches alongside a repeated failure tocomply withclear regulation.
Their permit was suspended while they took the necessary steps to come back into compliance.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
