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Four men were arrested on Tuesday 4 August 2026 as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal waste dumping at the Bolton House Road site in Wigan, a location notorious for causing distress to local residents due to persistent foul odours and a week-long fire that forced nearby schools to close last summer. Officers from Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and West Yorkshire Police, alongside the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, detained the suspects on charges including environmental offences, fraud, and money laundering. One of the arrested individuals, a 24-year-old from Leeds, is also linked to illegal dumping at the Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest near Shawell in Leicestershire.

The Environment Agency described the illegal dumping as an organised crime operation, highlighting the severe impact on communities, including families unable to escape the smell in their own homes and a primary school situated next to a vast rubbish pile. The government reiterated its commitment to tackling waste crime through its Waste Crime Action Plan, which includes direct funding for the clean-up of the Bolton House Road site and measures to prevent further illegal dumping, such as blocking the site entrance with concrete. Wigan Council is recruiting a specialist contractor to oversee the clean-up, with assurances of government funding provided.

At the Cave’s Inn Pits site, approximately 30,000 tonnes of shredded waste were dumped in layers covered with soil, prompting the Environment Agency to assess potential environmental impacts and monitor air and water quality as part of the ongoing criminal investigation. The agency also published a 10 Point Plan in March to address illegal waste activity more effectively, building on previous enforcement actions that in 2024/25 included stopping 743 unpermitted waste sites, leading 37 operations resulting in 40 arrests, and conducting 21 money laundering investigations.

The Environment Agency and Crimestoppers have urged the public to report any information about illegal waste dumping via the 24-hour incident hotline at 0800 807060 or anonymously through Crimestoppers, as authorities continue to pursue a zero-tolerance approach to waste crime and hold those responsible accountable for the environmental and community damage caused.