People in Knowsley are still facing the foul odour coming from an illegal waste site, nearly 10 months on from when it was first discovered. Tens of thousands of tonnes of heavy duty rubbish has been dumped on a field in Kirkby.
The ECHO understands that it is near junction four on the M57 and A580, and that it has not yet had any of the rubbish removed from the site since being discovered in December 2025. The dumped waste has been described as an act of “utterly shocking and organised criminal activity”, and is still under investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) and Knowsley Council.
Merseyside Police has said it has little involvement with the case currently. A spokesperson said: “We will continue to support our partners, including Knowsley Council and the Environment Agency, in their enquiries.”
Site remains uncleared and under investigation
What was once a green area of trees alongside the motorway has been destroyed by approximately 30,000 tonnes of rubbish – making it one of the largest illegal waste dumps ever found in the UK.
At a full council meeting on Wednesday, October 21, independent Cllr David Hitchmough questioned the Labour-led council about the status of the investigation and plans to remove the waste, citing the “health and environment implications of the site”.
Cllr Graham Morgan, leader of Knowsley Council, said: “Responsibility for the clearance of the site in Knowsley sits squarely with those responsible for its creation in the first place or failing that then the private landlord or landowner should take responsibility.
“In this regard we continue to work with the EA to progress the criminal investigation through to a prosecution as soon as possible so those that are responsible are held to account.
“You rightly point out that elsewhere in the country the government as a last resort has stepped in to fund the clearance of a small number of sites.”
Government funding and next steps
In March, the government announced that it would directly fund the clean-up of some of the worst waste sites in the country, including Wigan, Sheffield and Lancashire.
Cllr Morgan said “government support is by no means guaranteed”, but the council was “continuing to lobby the government” for help.
The leader explained plans for himself and the council chief executive to meet with Angela Eagle, secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs on November 2, with the aim of discussing the Kirkby site.
Officers are also in progress of finalising a case to set out why the site should be prioritised for clearance by the government, to be submitted to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) later this month.
Cllr Morgan added that by-weekly meetings were taking place with the Environment Agency to review the site.
He said: “I am acutely aware of the issues and impacts that this site is having on our residents, particularly from the older residents.
“The EA is undertaking monitoring of the site and at least I am comforted that the tests that they have undertaken to date have not identified any concerns to health, despite the smell.”
He encouraged residents to make reports directly to the Environment Agency if they feel the odour is getting worse, as sites are prioritised based on the impact of residents, and currently, very few reports have been made.
