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Written Question
Waste: Crime
Thursday 10th September 2026

Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are used to determine eligibility for the Illegal Waste Site Clearance Scheme; and whether any sites in County Durham have been assessed for inclusion.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No sites in Durham, including North Durham, have been identified as high-priority sites and therefore assessed against the Waste Crime Action Plan clearance criteria. Sites are selected for the Illegal Waste Site Clearance Scheme based on operational risk, environmental risk and community impact. The scheme is focused on the most serious illegal waste sites posing the greatest ongoing harm to local communities and the environment.