The two-day operation, which took place on 6 and 7 July 2026, combined roadside enforcement activity with compliance inspections at waste management facilities as part of a coordinated effort to tackle illegal waste activity across the county.
A traffic stop operation was carried out at Todhills, near Carlisle, by the Environment Agency alongside Cumberland Council and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Officers stopped vehicles transporting waste to check whether it was being carried legally, with a focus on waste carrier registrations, licences and the required documentation.
The Environment Agency said several significant breaches were identified during the checks, with a number of waste carriers found to be failing to comply with legal requirements for transporting waste.
The regulator said it will now carry out further investigations into those identified during the operation, while also following up intelligence linked to associated waste sites.
It added that robust enforcement action will be taken where evidence shows offences have been committed.
Inspections carried out at permitted waste sites
Alongside the roadside operation, Environment Agency officers worked with the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to inspect three permitted waste sites across Cumbria.
Compliance inspections were carried out at North West Recycling at Rockliffe Estate, Carlisle, as well as JJC Hire and Sinkfall Recycling, both in Barrow-in-Furness.
The inspections assessed whether each site was operating in accordance with the conditions of its environmental permit.
The Environment Agency said follow-up action will be taken where appropriate.
Aaron Wood, Waste Team Leader in Cumbria and Lancashire for the Environment Agency, said: “Waste crime causes real harm to communities and together with other agencies we are determined to stop it.
“Joint partnership operations such as this helps us disrupt operations across the waste sector and gather intelligence.
“Where we find evidence of suspected illegal activity or breaches of regulation we will not hesitate to take action.”
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