Two illegal 'putrid stink' waste sites shut down

Two illegal waste sites in the north-west of England have been shut down by the Environment Agency (EA).

People living near Simonswood and William Brothers Industrial Estates, on the border of Merseyside and West Lancashire, have long complained about rancid smells and dust.

The EA has served a revocation notice on Windmill Services Ltd so that the operator must take steps to remove waste from the site. Failure to comply would be a criminal offence.

Windmill Services Ltd, which has been contacted for comment, has 20 working days to appeal against the notice through the Planning Inspectorate.

"We are taking faster, more targeted, action against those in the waste sector who we suspect are breaking the rules," said the EA's Cumbria and Lancashire environment manager John Neville.

"Where we find evidence of illegal activity, we will not hesitate to take enforcement action - including revoking permits to remove operators from the waste sector and shutting down illegal operations.

"Waste crime causes real harm, blighting communities, causing pollution and undercutting legitimate businesses. Together with other agencies we are determined to stop it."

Two waste sites were found by the EA to be operating without a permit: one accepting household skip waste; the other taking in inert material.

The EA required all activity to stop at the sites, and the removal of the waste.

The operator of a third site was asked to clear a small amount of tipped waste.

The EA also gave "pollution prevention advice" to the operators of two other sites.

"The people of Kirkby have had to endure this nightmare for far too long, so I'm pleased to see this crackdown by the Environment Agency," said Nature Minster Mary Creagh.

"Our message to waste criminals is simple: break the rules and you will face the consequences.

"Our new Waste Crime Action Plan sets out this government's zero-tolerance approach after years of dither and delay.

"We're calling time on the waste criminals, who will now have to clean up and pay up, and face penalty points on their licence for fly tipping.

"We're giving enforcement officers new police-style powers, and doubling the Environment Agency's waste crime budget."

The EA said the operator of one of the sites was now compliant with its permit, while another had started to remove waste from its site.

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