The Environment Agency has revoked Waste permits for EWS NW and BJL Waste Management after repeated breaches of permit conditions. The notices put two northwest operators on a timetable to stop authorised activity and clear their sites if no appeal is lodged.
Jeni Brittlebank, an Area Environment Manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Environmental permits are there to protect people and the environment and where we find a waste site breaching permit conditions we will step in to take decisive action." She added: "These companies have failed to take the opportunities they’ve been given to get back in line with their environmental permits."
Jeni Brittlebank on Waste
The agency said BJL Waste Management received a suspension notice in December 2025 after concerns about contaminated run-off entering a nearby watercourse. EWS was served with a notice in January 2026 because of fire risk concerns at its Outram Road site. The Environment Agency said neither operator completed the remedial actions required under those suspension notices.
In March 2026, the regulator launched its 10 Point Plan to strengthen enforcement against illegal waste operators, including earlier intervention before unlawful sites become established and faster action to disrupt organised waste crime. Brittlebank said: "As part of our 10 point plan to take swifter action on persistent poor operator performance we’ve made the decision to revoke these permits."
Planning Inspectorate and deadlines
The companies can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate before the notices come into force, and if an appeal is lodged, the permits stay in force until the appeal is determined or withdrawn. That route leaves the timetable open, but the revocation notices also set fixed dates if no appeal is made.
If no appeal is submitted, BJL’s permit will be revoked on 21 July 2026 and the company must remove all waste from the site by 18 August 2026. EWS’s revocation notice will take effect on 3 August 2026, with all waste to be removed by 1 September 2026.
The Environment Agency warned that failing to remove all waste from the premises could result in criminal offences being committed. For EWS NW and BJL Waste Management, the next step is procedural: an appeal would hold the permits in place, while silence leaves the deadlines running toward July and August.
