Families in Bickershaw, near Wigan, have lived with a vast illegal dump on their doorstep for more than a year. This week ministers confirmed the government will pay to clear three of England’s worst sites - in Wigan, Sheffield and Hyndburn - removing a combined 48,000 tonnes of waste under a new crackdown on waste crime. (news.sky.com)

Residents in Wigan know exactly what’s at stake. A fire last summer burned for days on the Bickershaw pile, which the mayor later described as an “ocean of waste”. The Environment Agency has since secured a court restriction order to choke off further tipping while investigations continue. (mineralandwasteplanning.co.uk)

Local voices have pushed hard. “It’s amazing news,” said beautician Nicha Rowson, who moved her home studio because of the stench, though she added it should never have taken this long. Neighbours speak of rats, flies and sleepless nights when smoke drifted over the estate. (malaysia.news.yahoo.com)

The government’s Waste Crime Action Plan rolls in alongside the clear-ups. Councils will be able to issue conditional cautions that force fly-tippers into up to 20 hours of unpaid clean-up, and even seize money directly to fund removals. The package also includes tougher, earlier interventions and a public “name and shame” push. (gov.uk)

Enforcement muscle is being beefed up. The Environment Agency says it will move sooner on large sites, using court orders to halt activity, while new drone teams equipped with thermal imaging and lasers gather evidence from the air. Officials also point to a 50% rise in the EA’s enforcement budget to £15.6m this year. (news.sky.com)

Not everyone sees their site on the list. Near Gloucester, Highnam Parish Council’s chair Charlie Coats says Over - a so‑called supersite identified by the BBC - has been left out. “There’s been smoke, noise and leachate,” he said, adding villagers are frustrated by what they view as slow action. (archive.ph)

Ministers have faced claims of a north‑south divide after committing public money to the Kidlington, Oxfordshire, dump over the winter. Tender documents put that clearance at about £9.6m for roughly 21,000 tonnes - an exceptional step, officials say, because of fire risk by the River Cherwell. (find-tender.service.gov.uk)

For northern councils and businesses, today’s move shifts the dial from managing the fallout to finally shifting the rubbish. The test now is delivery: getting heavy kit on site and keeping criminals out. As the EA puts it, the priority is to get in earlier, shut illegal operations down and “come after” those responsible. (news.sky.com)