PM orders clean-up assessment of 18,500 tonnes of illegal waste in Surrey
An illegal waste site in Surrey will be assessed for clean-up as the Prime Minister pledges to bring 'pride back to Britain's communities'
Last updated 20th Aug 2026
An illegal waste site in Surrey will be assessed for clean-up as the Prime Minister pledges to bring 'pride back to Britain's communities'.
Th UK Government says that a better use of drones, a bigger role for the police and the National Crime Agency, more Environment Agency officers on the front line, and a steep rise in fines will deter, catch and punish those who dump illegally.
Mayors will be asked to lead their own effort in their areas with a reformed partnership between national and regional agencies and councils'.
Alongside the enforcement package, the government is funding the clean-up of three more of the country's most serious illegal waste sites - including the Aymer Close illegal dump in Runnymede, Surrey - subject to feasibility assessments.
Together, the sites contain around 22,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste and are harming an estimated 2,900 families
Sites were prioritised on scale, risk to nearby communities, environmental damage, and links to persistent non-compliance and organised waste crime.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said:
“These toxic dumps have blighted communities for too long. I said we would clean them up – and that’s exactly what we’re announcing today.
“The days of making easy money out of waste are over. We’re giving authorities the powers to hunt down the people responsible. We will seize their assets and shut their operations down.
“These mountains of rubbish have been a clear sign to communities that politics hasn’t been working for them or their area. This government is going to tackle the issues that have been ignored by Westminster for too long and bring back hope.”
s. A new Waste Crime Crackdown Group, chaired by Environment Secretary Angela Eagle, will aim to bring regulators and law enforcement together.
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said:
“This isn't just about people dumping rubbish...
"Large-scale waste sites are fuelled by serious, organised crime, and we need to use the full force of the law to tackle it and root it out at source.
"Communities have been subjected to horrendous conditions and denied the pride they deserve in the places they call home. This ends now.
"We are cleaning up sites, but we are also stopping the cycle, driving faster prevention and disruption, better intelligence, and stronger coordination across the system.”
Three more sites now identified for clearance:
Power Station Road, Isle of Sheppey, Kent
Aymer Close, Runnymede, Surrey
Midland Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire
At Aymer Close in Surrey around 18,500 tonnes of waste was dumped.
Area Director for the Environment Agency in Thames, Richard Penn, said:
“We welcome the commitment from the government to assess the Aymer Close illegal waste site for clearance.
“We know how much damage illegal dumping does to communities and the environment and we’ll continue to take action to trace those involved in waste crime.”