Key Points
- Four men have been arrested in connection with an estimated 25,000-tonne illegal waste dump at Bolton House Road, Bickershaw, near Wigan.
- Arrests were made by officers from Lancashire Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police, working with the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit.
- Those detained include a 41-year-old and a 35-year-old from Wigan, a 24-year-old from Leeds and a 59-year-old from Liverpool, on suspicion of environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.
- A fifth suspect, a 58-year-old man from the Birmingham area, was arrested in May as part of the same investigation.
- Local residents have reported persistent foul smells, and a major fire at the site last summer burned for a week, forcing nearby schools to close.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle have condemned the dumping as organised waste crime and pledged government-funded clean-up.
Wigan (Manchester Mirror) August 05, 2026 – Four men have been arrested as part of a major investigation into one of the UK’s largest illegal waste dumps, located less than 30 minutes from Lancashire.
The site on Bolton House Road in Bickershaw, near Wigan, is believed to contain around 25,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste, causing years of disruption for nearby residents.
Officers from Lancashire Police, Greater Manchester Police and West Yorkshire Police, working alongside the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, carried out the arrests on suspicion of environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.
A 41-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, both from Wigan, a 24-year-old man from Leeds and a 59-year-old man from Liverpool were taken into custody. The 24-year-old from Leeds was also arrested in connection with waste dumping at the Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest near Shawell in Leicestershire.
A fifth suspect, a 58-year-old man from the Birmingham area, was previously arrested in May as part of the same investigation.
Who are the suspects and what are they accused of?
As reported by the BBC, the four men arrested on Tuesday are suspected of involvement in environmental offences, fraud and money laundering linked to the illegal dumping operation.
The Environment Agency said the 24-year-old Leeds man faces additional allegations relating to waste dumping at Cave’s Inn Pits, a protected site in Leicestershire.
Sue Longstone, the Environment Agency’s director of operations for the North, said:
“The illegal dumping at Bolton House Road and Cave’s Inn Pits are atrocious attacks on our communities, and we share the public’s utter disgust at these horrendous crimes.”
“Our teams have been working relentlessly on these investigations, and our arrests are a vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing it further,”
she added.
What impact has the illegal dump had on local residents?
Residents living close to the Bolton House Road site have complained of persistent foul smells and environmental hazards for several years.
Last summer, a major fire at the dump burned for a week, releasing smoke and fumes that forced nearby schools to close and heightened concerns over public health.
Wigan Council previously installed concrete barriers to prevent further waste being brought onto the land, but the scale of the operation has overwhelmed local resources.
Government response and clean-up plans
Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcomed the arrests and said local people had been forced to live with the consequences of organised waste crime for too long.
“I have stood on Bolton House Road and seen what local people have had to live with,” Mr Burnham said. “It is shocking – an ocean of rubbish piled up next to a primary school, and families unable to escape the smell in their own homes.”
“This is not fly-tipping. This is organised crime, and it is local communities that are paying the price,”
he added.
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle described the dumping as “appalling” and said tackling waste crime remained one of the Government’s top priorities.
“The appalling dumping of waste at Bolton House Road and Cave’s Inn Pits represents a blatant disregard for local communities and the environment,” Dame Angela said.
The Government has announced it will directly fund the clean-up operation, with Wigan Council now seeking a specialist contractor to remove the waste.
Background of the illegal waste dump development
The Bolton House Road site, formerly a scrapyard, became a focus of national attention after a week-long fire in summer 2025 incinerated an estimated 25,000 tonnes of waste.
In February 2026, the Environment Agency obtained a court order to restrict access to the land, known locally as “The Old Cricket Ground”, to prevent further illegal dumping.
Earlier in 2026, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham told the Greater Manchester Combined Authority that the scale of the dump suggested “serious criminal gang-related activities” beyond the capacity of Wigan Council to address.
The site spans land owned by Wigan Council and the Duchy of Lancaster, the King’s private estate, prompting calls for coordinated action between landowners and authorities.
Predictions for local communities and environmental impact
The arrests mark a significant step in efforts to dismantle organised waste crime networks operating in the North West.
If prosecutions are successful, the operation could deter similar large-scale illegal dumping and encourage more robust enforcement against waste crime gangs.
For local residents, the government-funded clean-up promises relief from long-standing health and environmental hazards, though the removal process is expected to take months.
Environmental campaigners warn that without sustained enforcement and investment, illegal waste sites could re-emerge, particularly where land ownership is complex and oversight is fragmented.
