An illegal waste site containing roughly 30,000 tonnes of rubbish is being investigated in Knowsley.
The site was discovered and shut down by Merseyside Police, Knowsley Council, Environment Agency, Merseyside Police, Knowsley Council, with the Environment Agency notifying the council that the waste was being illegally dumped in December last year.
Much of the unidentified waste is said to have been disposed of in November 2025, and according to the council, the site had the potential to become one of the UK’s biggest illegal waste dumps if it had not been unveiled.
An investigation has since been launched by the Environmental Agency, supported by the council and the police, with a council spokesperson emphasising that the local authority is ‘deeply concerned’ about the possible long-term effects on residents.
They said: ‘This is not just in terms of immediate issues like odour and loss of habitat on site but longer-term concerns about potential health impacts. We don’t underestimate the seriousness of this situation.’
‘We have been and are continuing to push for the strongest possible response and the swiftest possible resolution’, they added.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: ‘The public should be assured that we will use all our powers to prosecute the criminals responsible.’
They explained that since the closure of the site, there have been no additional waste deposits, and that they are working to the best of their ability to manage it.
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