The Environment Agency has taken decisive action against two waste management operators, EWS NW Ltd in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, and BJL Waste Management Ltd in Glossop, Derbyshire, by serving them with permit revocation notices. This move follows a series of repeated breaches of environmental permit conditions at both sites, prompting the regulatory body to escalate its enforcement efforts.
Once the notices take effect, both companies will be legally required to cease all activities previously authorised by their permits. Furthermore, they must remove all existing waste from their respective sites. Failure to comply with these directives could result in the operators committing further offences, underlining the seriousness of the Environment Agency's stance.
BJL Waste Management Ltd, located on Melandra Road in Glossop, and EWS NW Ltd, based on Outram Road in Dukinfield, retain the right to appeal the revocation decision to the Planning Inspectorate. Should an appeal be lodged, the permits would remain valid until the appeal process is concluded or withdrawn. If no appeal is made, BJL's revocation notice will become effective on 21 July 2026, with a deadline of 18 August 2026 for waste removal. For EWS, the revocation would take effect on 3 August 2026, with waste to be removed by 1 September 2026.
These revocations are a direct consequence of the Environment Agency's intensified focus on tackling waste crime, outlined in its '10 Point Plan'. This strategy aims to implement faster and more targeted actions against operators who consistently fail to meet environmental standards. Jeni Brittlebank, Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, emphasised that environmental permits are crucial for protecting both people and the environment, stating that the agency will take decisive action when permit conditions are breached.
Both companies had previously received suspension notices due to significant concerns. BJL's permit was suspended in December 2025 over worries about contaminated run-off impacting a nearby watercourse, while EWS faced a suspension in January 2026 due to fire risks identified on its site. The remedial actions required by these earlier notices were not completed, leading to the current permit revocations and a ban on bringing new waste onto either site. The '10 Point Plan' aims to strengthen prevention, improve detection, and deliver more consistent enforcement against environmental offences.