In recent months, a wave of outrage and concern has swept communities across England as the scale and impact of illegal waste dumping have become impossible to ignore. From the rural fields of Gloucestershire to the residential streets of Wigan and the riverside outskirts of Oxfordshire, the Environment Agency (EA) finds itself at the center of a national debate about fairness, public health, and environmental stewardship.
The EA is currently investigating two sites in Gloucestershire for alleged persistent fly-tipping. According to BBC reporting, these sites—one at Over near Gloucester and another at Rudford in the Forest of Dean—have been under scrutiny for years. Highnam Parish Council claims the Over site has operated illegally for seven years, with as many as 30 to 50 vehicles delivering waste daily at its peak. The council’s chairman, Charlie Coats, described the situation bluntly: “It’s tipping on quite a large scale, probably tens of thousands of tonnes. No effective action has been taken to bring this under control.”
Despite repeated complaints, the waste pile at Over has grown so massive that it now leaks into the floodplain of the River Leadon, a tributary of the River Severn. The environmental risks are obvious—and so are the frustrations. Highnam Parish Council has formally complained to the chief executive of the EA and copied in the secretary of state for the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), demanding more decisive action.
Meanwhile, at Rudford, the Forest of Dean District Council uncovered what it described as “serious environmental breaches,” serving the landowner, Marshall Oldham, with a Planning Enforcement Action for “the importation, depositing and movement of materials,” including construction waste. Oldham, through his planning agent, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations “unfounded.” Despite these denials, local residents are adamant about the damage being done. Margaret Orritt lamented, “It’s hideous and it’s destroying the environment as well that used to be a lovely footpath along there and it’s all lost now.” Another resident, Robert Heigham, stated, “He’s tipping stuff that shouldn’t be tipped down there,” referring to the site’s alleged use for agricultural or equestrian services but insisting, “It’s just blatant fly-tipping.”
While the Forest of Dean District Council has taken enforcement action at Rudford, the BBC notes that Tewkesbury Borough Council has not done so at the Highnam site, leaving many to wonder about the consistency of responses. Both Tewkesbury Borough Council and Gloucestershire County Council have pointed to the EA as the responsible authority, but the agency’s actions have not satisfied local campaigners. An EA spokesperson insisted, “Illegal waste crime scars our communities, and we’re committed to tackling it in Gloucestershire working with police and councils.” Last year, the EA reported shutting down activity at 743 illegal waste sites across England, including 143 classified as high risk.
Yet, the sense of injustice isn’t confined to Gloucestershire. On December 11, 2025, the EA announced it will spend millions of pounds to clear an enormous illegal rubbish dump near Kidlington, Oxfordshire, citing an urgent risk of fire. The dump, containing thousands of tonnes of waste, sits next to the River Cherwell. This exceptional intervention broke with the EA’s usual policy, which is to pursue perpetrators and landowners rather than foot the bill for cleanup. The agency said the risk of fire at Kidlington presented an “overriding public imperative.”
This decision immediately provoked outrage from other communities facing similar crises. In Bickershaw, Wigan, residents have endured 25,000 tonnes of toxic rubbish dumped illegally in a residential street adjacent to a primary school for nearly a year. During the summer 2025 heatwave, the rubbish caught fire and burned for nine days, forcing the school to close and residents to stay indoors. Josh Simons, the Labour MP for Makerfield, voiced his anger: “This decision throws mud in the face of my working-class constituents in Bickershaw, Wigan, but also of people across the country suffering from toxic, illegal dumps that don’t have the privilege of living in middle class Oxfordshire. I am so angry about it.”
Simons continued, “My constituents will feel this is unfair, unjust, and once again like a public body is ignoring working-class communities in the north.” He questioned why the EA’s exceptional response was reserved for Oxfordshire: “What is not ‘exceptional’ about a toxic waste dump on fire right next to a primary school and bunch of local businesses? Could it be because the kids and businesses are not in Oxfordshire? I will fight tooth and nail for the Environment Agency to treat my towns equally and clear the Bickershaw site – and treat us like the good people of Oxfordshire.”
The sense of disparity is heightened by the fact that the EA has not received extra funding for the Kidlington cleanup, instead redirecting funds from operational efficiencies and paying landfill tax on the removed waste. This means the cost falls on taxpayers nationwide, raising questions about how the agency prioritizes its limited resources.
Beyond the immediate crises, the issue of illegal waste dumping exposes deeper systemic problems. In October 2025, the House of Lords environment and climate change committee released an inquiry into waste crime, calling for a “root and branch review” of the government’s response. The report revealed that 38 million tonnes of waste—enough to fill Wembley Stadium 35 times—are illegally dumped each year, often by organized crime groups with links to money laundering and even modern slavery. Despite these stark findings, environment secretary Emma Reynolds rejected the committee’s recommendations, promising instead that new policies would be announced in early 2026 to “drive criminality away from the waste sector,” drawing on previous reviews and intelligence.
For many communities, these promises ring hollow. In both Kidlington and Wigan, the EA was monitoring sites after being alerted to suspicious activity, yet lorryloads of waste continued to be dumped over months. In Wigan, part of the illegal waste ended up on a field where primary school children played sports. The EA insists it is “laser-focused on finding the offenders and bringing them to justice,” but for those living with the stench and danger of illegal dumps, such assurances feel inadequate.
The agency encourages the public to report illegal waste activities via its 24/7 hotline or anonymously to Crimestoppers, but the scale and persistence of the problem suggest that enforcement alone may not be enough. As organized crime adapts and exploits weaknesses in oversight, local councils and national bodies alike face mounting pressure to rethink their approach.
As 2026 approaches, the stakes are clear. Illegal waste dumping is not just an eyesore or a bureaucratic challenge—it’s a threat to public health, environmental safety, and social trust. With communities from Gloucestershire to Wigan demanding answers, the question remains: will the next round of government policies finally tip the balance in favor of those living on the frontlines of the country’s waste crisis?
