Court Order Restricts Wigan Waste Site Access

Environment Agency Latest News

Filed February 27th, 2026

Detected February 28th, 2026

Summary

The Environment Agency has obtained a court order restricting access to a waste site in Wigan to prevent illegal dumping. The order, effective for six months, prohibits waste importation and access to the site, with non-compliance being a criminal offense. This action is part of an ongoing criminal investigation into illegal waste dumping.

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What changed

The Environment Agency has secured a six-month court order from Wigan Magistrates' Court prohibiting the import of waste and restricting access to a site known as "The Old Cricket Ground" in Bickershaw, Wigan. This order was granted as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into illegal waste dumping at a nearby site, where scrap metal waste was found to be moved to the restricted premises. Failure to comply with the Restriction Order constitutes a criminal offense.

This action directly impacts entities involved in waste management and potentially those associated with the identified illegal dumping activities. Regulated entities should be aware that access to the site is prohibited except for authorized personnel and waste removal. The Environment Agency is conducting a criminal investigation, interviewing individuals under caution, and has served formal notices. The public is encouraged to report any information related to illegal waste deposits. This enforcement action highlights the agency's commitment to combating waste crime, supported by new technological measures and a history of successful prosecutions.

What to do next

Review Environment Agency enforcement actions regarding waste sites.
Ensure compliance with waste import and site access regulations.
Report any observed illegal waste dumping activities to the Environment Agency.

Penalties

Failure to comply with the court order is a criminal offense. The Environment Agency has secured over £640,000 in fines and 20 custodial sentences in the past three years for waste crime.

Source document (simplified)

Press release

Site shut down as Wigan waste investigation continues

The Environment Agency has acted to restrict access to land in Wigan, Greater Manchester, to prevent the illegal dumping of waste.

From: Environment Agency Published 27 February 2026

A court order is now in place prohibiting anyone from importing waste to the site known as “The Old Cricket Ground” in Bickershaw.

The Restriction Order was granted at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 25 February and will last six months.

Access to the premises is also prohibited, subject to certain exceptions including Environment Agency access and for the removal of waste. Failure to comply with this order is a criminal offence.

The application for the order was made as part of the Environment Agency’s ongoing response to illegal waste dumping at a site at Bolton House Road in Bickershaw.

It was granted after the investigation revealed scrap metal waste was being removed from the Bolton House Road site on to this nearby land.

Ongoing response to illegal waste site

Mark Easedale, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

We’ve taken action to restrict access to this land as part of our ongoing response to the nearby illegal waste site at Bolton House Road.

We have immense sympathy for the local community affected by this waste crime, which continues to have an impact on the people who live and work in the area.

We are doing everything within our powers to identify the perpetrators, including launching a major criminal investigation and interviewing individuals under caution.
The Environment Agency is working in partnership with Wigan Council, Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to help manage the site at Bolton House Road.

A series of interventions have already been made to prevent additional waste from being dumped illegally.

A number of individuals have been interviewed under caution and formal notices have been served requiring the waste to be removed, as well as notices served requiring further information. The criminal investigation is ongoing.

Any members of the public who have information relating to the illegal deposit of waste at this site should call the Environment Agency incident number on 0800 80 70 60.

The restriction order comes just after new measures were announced to stop waste criminals before they even get started, including an enhanced 33-strong drone squad and an expansion of the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) to 20 officers.

In the three years up to March 2025, the Environment Agency secured 211 prosecutions against waste criminals, resulting in more than £640,000 in fines and 20 custodial sentences.

In the last two months alone, EA investigations have led to 18 arrests linked to waste crime.