The Environment Agency is consulting on proposed updates to its enforcement and sanctions policy to reflect new water and waste enforcement powers. The consultation also includes updates to existing annexes and the addition of a new annex, with responses invited until 4 October 2026.
The Environment Agency has revoked the environmental permit of a Wolverhampton waste operator following sustained non-compliance and enforcement action. The site had been authorised to handle hazardous waste, including asbestos, batteries and WEEE, but is now unable to accept waste.
The Environment Agency has updated its Part B1 standard rules permit application form and related guidance for environmental permitting. The changes include new and revised standard rules, updated site plan and technical competence requirements, and structural changes to the form and navigation.
The Environment Agency says a man in his 20s has been arrested in connection with alleged illegal waste activities at a site near Camborne, Cornwall. The investigation is ongoing and forms part of wider enforcement action involving Cornwall Council and Devon and Cornwall Police, with previous stop letters issued at the site.
The Environment Agency has published a consultation response on proposed standard rules permits for new cemetery developments and closed-loop ground source heating and cooling systems. Feedback generally supported the proposals, and the Agency now plans to update the draft permits and generic risk assessments before publishing final versions on GOV.UK by the end of June 2026.
The Environment Agency has updated its policy paper on digital waste tracking, confirming plans for a mandatory UK-wide service and setting out revised implementation details. The update notes public beta testing, changes to timelines, and specific adjustments for Northern Ireland, waste exemptions, and service charging arrangements.
The Environment Agency has published new national flood and coastal erosion risk information for England, including updated maps and future climate change scenarios. The release is part of a new national flood risk assessment process that combines local and national modelling, with data made available through the Defra Data Services Platform.
The Environment Agency has announced four arrests linked to an ongoing investigation into large-scale illegal waste dumping at Bolton House Road in Wigan, with one suspect also connected to a separate site in Leicestershire. The article says the case involves environmental, fraud and money laundering offences and forms part of a wider government crackdown on waste crime.
The Environment Agency has opened a seven-week consultation on permit variations for a new long sea outfall serving Exmouth sewage treatment works. The proposal would allow South West Water to use the outfall permanently for treated wastewater, with storm sewage discharge possible during heavy rainfall, subject to environmental standards and protections for sensitive sites.
The Environment Agency has published guidance on how to carry out a groundwater risk assessment for environmental permit applications. It explains when applicants may need to assess direct or indirect pollution risks, with particular emphasis on sensitive locations such as Groundwater Source Protection Zone 1 (SPZ1), and outlines the need for a conceptual model, desk study and site investigation evidence.
