Two landlords operating in Norfolk have been fined more than £216,000 in total after council inspections found serious hazards in rented homes, including unsafe electrics, damp and mould, overcrowding and fire risks. Breckland Council said the action followed repeated non-compliance, including failures to carry out electrical safety checks and to comply with improvement notices.
The Regulator of Social Housing’s 2026 casework review draws lessons from its recent regulation of social landlords, focusing on governance, financial viability, consumer standards and tenant safety. It says landlords need stronger risk management, better use of data, and more robust assurance to demonstrate compliance and deliver safe, good-quality homes.
The Environment Agency has launched Operation Unite, an 18-week enforcement campaign targeting permitted waste sites suspected of criminal activity. Across 42 inspections in England, the operation led to 17 permit suspensions or revocations underway and more than 30 criminal investigations, with actions taken at sites including Lancashire, Chichester and Hull.
South East Refurbishment Ltd has been fined after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in a fall from a raised forklift bucket while carrying out dismantling work at a site in Kent. The HSE said the incident arose from poor contractor management, inadequate training, and a lack of supervision and safe systems of work for work at height.
The Environment Agency has revoked the environmental permit of a Kent waste operator after repeated failures to manage waste storage, fire risk and pollution controls at a site in Stockbury near Sittingbourne. The case involved hazardous items such as old fridges and TVs, inadequate drainage, and concerns raised by Kent Fire and Rescue Service about firefighting access and water supply.
Liverpool City Council is set to reconsider Liverpool FC’s request to make the closure of part of Anfield Road to vehicles permanent, following earlier committee discussion and additional safety and security information. The same committee agenda also includes several residential schemes in Liverpool, including a care home, a social-rent apartment redevelopment, and a mixed apartment proposal on brownfield land.
The Environment Agency says parts of southern, central and eastern England are moving closer to drought status after a third heatwave, with very low July rainfall, rising water demand and growing pressure on supplies. The National Drought Group has stepped up monitoring, incident response and public communication, while water companies have introduced or announced temporary use bans affecting millions of customers.
The Environment Agency has published statutory guidance for standard rules permit SR2008 No 9 covering the storage of asbestos waste. The guidance sets out strict conditions for how asbestos waste must be stored, including secure containment, segregation, time limits, and prohibitions on repackaging, loose storage, and certain handling methods.
Blackburn with Darwen Council has prosecuted three landlords after they ignored an Improvement Notice relating to serious hazards in a rented home, including damp and mould, lack of heating, electrical and fire risks, and structural concerns. The landlords were fined and ordered to complete the required remedial works, and the case will be reported to the Rogue Landlord Database.
The Environment Agency has revoked permits for two waste sites in Greater Manchester and Derbyshire after repeated breaches of permit conditions. The sites must cease authorised activities and remove waste, with the revocations taking effect unless successfully appealed to the Planning Inspector.
