The Environment Agency (EA) could get “police-style” powers as part of a government crackdown on waste crime.

The newly-announced measure, which is part of the government’s yet-to-be published Waste Crime Action Plan targeting issues ranging from fly-tipping to large illegal sites, could enable enforcement officers to arrest suspected criminals without a warrant.

They could also seize assets and search premises without a warrant, the government said, adding it was adopting a “zero-tolerance” policy to illegal sites cropping up across the country.

The powers, which may be extended to EA enforcement officers, are under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE), the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) and other legislation.

The crime costing the economy billions

Sky News has been investigating how, across the country, waste crime is a growing scourge and a booming business being exploited by criminal gangs.

Being paid to remove rubbish only to dump it illegally without sorting it or paying tax is an easy way of making huge amounts of money, with poorly enforced legal repercussions and a huge cost to the environment.

It’s something the previous head of the Environment Agency called “the new narcotics”.

– It’s thought a fifth of all waste in England is being illegally managed

– That’s around 34 million tonnes a year, enough to fill about four million skips

– It costs the economy around a billion pounds a year, with legitimate operators thought to be losing a further £3bn from missed business

Last July, we tracked down a group of suspected organised fly-tippers who waved wads of cash on TikTok after dumping waste in the countryside.

“This would allow officers to intervene earlier, bring more criminals to justice and hit the organised gangs behind illegal waste where it hurts by disrupting their finances,” said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

“The move would make the Environment Agency one of a few organisations with these powers – a clear signal that waste crime is being treated as a serious organised crime.”

From July 2024 to the end of last year, the EA secured 122 prosecutions, leading to 10 custodial sentences, and shut down 1,205 illegal waste sites.

Under new legislation, waste criminals caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally will face up to five years in prison.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “Waste crime is a disgrace. It blights our countryside and communities, damaging our environment and economy.

“That is why we are taking decisive action. We’re giving the Environment Agency the police-like powers they need to stop waste criminals in their tracks and bring those responsible swiftly to justice.”

The government is also looking at how enforcement bodies could share information with banks and finance companies to make them aware of waste criminality so they can then make an informed decision on whether to keep doing business with criminals.

Read more:
Drones armed with lasers to tackle illegal rubbish dumps
What it’s like to live next to a 25,000-tonne illegal waste dump

Philip Duffy, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: “Waste crime causes misery across communities, and we have significantly stepped up our response to it already. But we are not standing still.

“While having more boots on the ground is important in tackling these criminal networks, we also need to make sure our officers have as many powers as possible to bring them down.

“But we can’t do this on our own. We are working closely with the police and local government. And we need the eyes and ears of the public to report potential dumping through Crimestoppers or our incident hotline. Working together, we can drive criminals out of our waste sector.”