The Environment Agency has been accused of “massaging figures” from poorly performing waste sites to make reports appear that “the situation is better than it is”.
An Environment Agency insider told the Ends Report and the Guardian that the watchdog told staff in September 2023 to stop inspecting the most poorly performing waste sites until this month to meet targets.
The watchdog aims to ensure that 97% of all regulated sites, such as landfills, are complying with their permits.
In an email sent on 20 September 2023, a senior installations manager for waste sites in Nottingham emailed staff to warn that the region was at risk of missing this corporate target.
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“The KPI [key performance indicator, a way companies measure performance] says that we have to have 97% of our sites in compliance band A B C, which effectively means we are ‘allowed’ no more than 3% in D E F. 3% of our sites equals 23.2 sites. Therefore we are aiming for 23 – NO MORE,” they wrote.
In the email, the manager asked officers to “PAUSE UNTIL JAN work which is not absolutely necessary to do now”.
The insider said that a lack of resources means the Environment Agency is “failing to do its statutory duty in a timely manner”.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: “These claims are incorrect – our work to regulate these sites did not stop. We are responsible for over 600 waste and installation sites in the east Midlands, and it is not unusual to prioritise work on those which pose the greatest risk to the environment, for example, those with hazardous waste.
“Last year, all these sites received their necessary inspections by our officers – and we already have compliance plans in place for the forthcoming year, to ensure they meet our high standards.”
