Questions have been raised over the safety of a 50,000-tonne illegal waste dump uncovered in a Nottinghamshire village last year, but a council has insisted there are “no public health concerns”.
Nottinghamshire County Council first uncovered the dump in Ranskill in December 2025.
A Sky News investigation later found there was a strong match for the pesticide thanite, a chemical that has been banned in the UK for decades due to the danger posed to life.
A strong match for the chemical carbon tetrachloride, a banned compound that can cause liver and kidney damage and is linked to cancer, was also detected in the air.
Councillor Andrew McCallum (Ref), who represents Ranskill on Bassetlaw District Council, has questioned why the Environment Agency has seemingly been “inactive” at the site ever since.
During a meeting on Thursday (September 17), he raised safety concerns, noting that “the side gate was open, allowing anyone access, possibly even more illegal waste tipping”.
The Environment Agency says that investigations of this scale take time due to the amount of evidence needed for any possible court case.
Nottinghamshire County Council has also put up a Stop Notice and Planning Enforcement Notice to prevent further waste from being dumped at the site.
Responding to his concerns, Cllr Darrell Pulk (Lab), cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said the protection of residents and the environment “is clearly of the uppermost importance, and I understand the strength of concern about this site”.
However, he said it was important to clarify that responsibility for illegal waste operations falls primarily to the Environment Agency as regulator, while Nottinghamshire County Council is the waste planning authority for the area and is responsible for planning control in relation to waste.
“The information available to the council confirms that the Environment Agency and Nottinghamshire County Council are conducting an ongoing criminal investigation,” Cllr Pulk said.
“Because this is an ongoing regulatory and criminal matter, it would not be appropriate for this council to speculate publicly about the investigation, disclose operational details or comment on the actions being considered by the lead authorities.
“Doing so could compromise or prejudice the investigation or any subsequent enforcement proceedings.
“However, that does not mean that Bassetlaw District Council is indifferent to the concerns of residents, nor does it mean that the council would fail to act where it has the legal powers and responsibilities to do so. The district council will act within the statutory powers available to it.”
He said that, based on the information available to council officers at the relevant time, “no known or immediate public health concerns have been identified”.
“If new evidence is received that engages the district council’s statutory responsibilities, the council will consider that evidence and take appropriate action within its legal remit. In relation to the site security, the landowner also retains responsibility for securing private land and preventing unauthorised access,” Cllr Pulk added.
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency added: “The challenge posed by waste crime has grown and we are working hard to tackle this blight on our environment.
“Working with the county council, we have stopped any further dumping at this site.
“A criminal investigation is now ongoing, and we will do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice.
“Anyone who spots suspicious activity should call our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”
However, the agency said it cannot comment further on the criminal investigation as the case is live.
By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
