Overview
- The Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, backed by Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire police, arrested four men on suspicion of environmental offences, fraud and money laundering on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
- Those held are a 41-year-old and a 35-year-old from Wigan, a 24-year-old from Leeds who is also linked to dumping at the Cave’s Inn Pits SSSI, and a 59-year-old from Liverpool.
- The UK government has pledged to fund a full clean-up of the Bolton House Road site, Wigan Council has secured the entrance with concrete blocks, and the council is seeking a specialist contractor to remove the waste.
- Reporting and agency statements estimate the Bolton House Road dump at about 25,000 tonnes and Cave’s Inn Pits at about 30,000 tonnes, with residents harmed by persistent foul odours and a week-long fire last summer that forced school closures and prompted ongoing air and water monitoring.
- Investigations and environmental assessments continue, with arrests intended to gather evidence for possible prosecutions and to strengthen enforcement under the Environment Agency’s Waste Crime Action Plan.