The Environment Agency is investigating three illegal waste dump sites in the North East, at Peterlee, Hartlepool and Callerton, involving almost 3,500 tonnes of shredded household waste. The sites have been shut down and access blocked while investigations and clean-up planning continue with landowners.
The Environment Agency says BDW Trading, part of Barratt Redrow, polluted watercourses in Yate after silt from a housing development entered the Ladden Brook and Tanhouse stream during drainage cleaning works. The company has since funded remediation, training and improved surface-water management, and agreed an enforcement undertaking that directs money to environmental projects.
The Environment Agency has updated its low risk waste positions for certain animal and animal waste activities, including withdrawals, replacements and a minor clarification to one position. The guidance emphasises that operators must check whether an LRWP remains in force and comply with any conditions, including where regulatory position statements now apply.
The Environment Agency has published new heat maps showing suspected waste crime hotspots across England, based on public reports and used to target enforcement activity. The article also outlines a wider government crackdown, including stronger powers, increased frontline enforcement, and higher fines for illegal dumping and related offences.
The Environment Agency has issued a Regulatory Position Statement (RPS 377) covering large producers that stop performing producer functions and the related requirement to register and report data. It confirms that the underlying legal obligations remain in place, but the regulator will not normally take enforcement action where the RPS conditions are met.
The Environment Agency has updated guidance on current and future bans on fluorinated gases (F gases) in new products and equipment in Great Britain. The notice sets out prohibited uses, enforcement consequences, reporting routes for banned items, and the process for seeking exemptions, including for certain air conditioning and heat pump systems, insulation foam, aerosols and refrigeration uses.
The Environment Agency has published guidance for local planning authorities on preparing and maintaining a strategic flood risk assessment (SFRA). The guidance emphasises that SFRAs should be kept up to date as a living document and used early in plan-making to inform decisions on the type and location of development.
The Environment Agency is advertising a permit application from BDW Trading Limited for Trows Farm, Cowm Top, Castleton, Rochdale, under reference EPR/ZP3528MJ/A001. The notice confirms a public consultation on activities that may include water discharge, groundwater activities, and medium combustion plant or specified generators.
The Environment Agency has updated its regulatory position on documentation for business waste deposited at takeback points. The statement confirms that normal legal requirements for waste transfer and consignment notes remain in place, but enforcement action is unlikely where the RPS conditions are met, and the position has been extended until 30 September 2027 ahead of phase 2 of digital waste tracking.
The Environment Agency has published guidance on how organisations can submit a proposal for a WEEE compliance fee methodology under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations. The guidance explains the proposal process, evaluation criteria, and the annual deadline for submission, with an update noting that 2026 proposals may consider national shortages in cooling equipment treatment.
