Don't ignore it, report it! Details of how to report environmental incidents.
To report an environmental incident please call our
incident hotline on
0800 80 70 60 (Freephone*, 24 hour service). You should not use e-mail to report an incident, as this could delay our response. *Calls from mobile phones are not free and will be charged at normal network operator's call rates.
Incidents we deal with
You should call us to report:
- damage or danger to the natural environment
- pollution to water or land
- poaching or illegal fishing
- fish in distress or dead fish
- watercourse blocked by vehicle or fallen tree causing risk of flooding
- illegal dumping of hazardous waste or large amounts of industrial waste
- incidents including odour and noise at sites we regulate, such as landfill, transfer station etc.
- Illegal abstraction from watercourses
- unusual drop in riverflow
- collapsed or badly damaged river or canal banks
Incidents we don't deal with
You should not call us to report:
- gas leaks
- burst water mains
- discolouration, odour or taste of drinking water
- flooding from domestic burst pipe or overflow from highway drains
- fly-tipping of household rubbish or small amounts of commercial waste
- domestic noise nuisance
- odours from domestic or small commercial premises
- burning domestic or garden waste
- domestic infestations
- smoke emissions from vehicles
- road maintenance
- interruptions for electricity or water supplies
- blocked domestic drains and sewers
Visit the government website GOV.UK to find out who to report these issues to:
Crimestoppers
We’re using a new way to gather more information on those people who commit environmental crime by partnering up with Crimestoppers. They are an independent charity helping to find criminals and help solve crimes.
Crimestoppers is not a replacement for our 24 hours a day, 7 days per week incident reporting number of 0800 80 70 60.
You should continue to call 0800 80 70 60 if an environmental incident is happening or about to happen e.g. sewage is entering a river, there is illegal burning taking place or people are fishing illegally.
When to contact Crimestoppers
We fully understand though that in some instances people want to give us information but don’t want to reveal their identity, or be asked to make a statement or appear in court.
Crimestoppers guarantee that:
- you will never be asked for your name
- your call will not be recorded
- your call or online form will not be traced
- you will not have to make a statement
- you will not appear in court
There are certain areas of environmental crime that we are more interested in, but please don’t be deterred from reporting anything that you hear or see.
Some examples of what to look for are:
- large scale illegal dumping of 18 or more tonnes of waste - this equates to approximately two 12 cubic yard skips
- the illegal export of waste tyres, waste electrical equipment, and municipal waste
- eel and elver poaching
- fish theft and illegal fish stocking
If you have information on these areas and you want to report anonymously please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or alternatively use the online form.
