A massive illegal fly-tipping site has been uncovered in Nottinghamshire woodland after 59,000 tonnes of rubbish was allegedly dumped next to two nature reserves – and the Environment Agency has now launched a criminal investigationEd Chatterton17:14, 24 May 2026Shocking aerial photographs reveal how 59,000 tonnes of household rubbish has been fly-tipped in woodland near a picturesque village, prompting a criminal investigation.‌A major probe has been launched by the Environment Agency (EA) into the latest large-scale waste site which was discovered in Ranskill in Nottinghamshire. Drone images show the enormous scale of the appalling site which is bigger than a football pitch and surrounds a lake next to two nature reserves.‌Nottinghamshire County Council has now issued a Stop Notice and Planning Enforcement notice to prevent further waste from being dumped. The EA said a criminal investigation has been launched into the dumped rubbish, which it acknowledged had become a "major and growing problem" across the country.‌Many villagers said they were oblivious to the site being dumped near their quaint civil parish due to the lengths the fly-tippers had gone to conceal the illegal dump. One local, who would only give her name as Mary, 64, said: "We didn't have any idea it was there until now - they have gone to great lengths to remain undetected and it's out of the way of the village somewhat.‌"I think it's absolutely disgusting, there must have been hundreds if not thousands of lorry loads of the stuff dumped up there. You just hope whoever is behind it is held to account as it seems to be happening all over the place and its destroying the environment."Chair of Ranskill Council, Dan Simpson, said: "We had been alerted to some suspicious activity going on up there for some time. We thought something untoward had been going on for 12 months but only recently do we now know why.‌"We noticed unmarked lorries going up and down an access road which had been created out of nowhere really. They even filled in potholes on some of the other roads to make life easier for themselves."But because there are some legitimate businesses near there, we thought it could be down to them. We just weren't aware of the true scale of the site and what they had been doing there."We've had councillors and members of the public abused so we hadn't been able to get too near the site. The areas around it include well used nature reserves and lakes but where the site is more off the beaten track.‌"Not many people were aware it was even there, there's been no smell but that might change as the weather warms up. Those responsible have not been caught to the best of my knowledge and we just hope the Environment Agency investigation can find those behind it."An Environment Agency spokesperson commented: "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."There are currently eight active sites across the UK larger than 20,000 tonnes, according to Sky News. Back in March, the EA unveiled its new 10-point plan in a bid to crack down on the organised criminals behind the illegal waste sites.‌It stated that by building on existing partnerships, they have launched a "focused, sustained programme of action to strengthen prevention, improve detection and deliver more consistent enforcement".Councillor Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "We became aware of the issue in December 2025, after waste had been brought onto the land without permission. Since then, we've been working closely with the Environment Agency and carrying out our own investigations."In March 2026, Stop and Enforcement Notices were served on the landowners and other interested parties. This means no more waste can be brought onto the site and the waste already there must be cleared.‌"The enforcement notice is now in effect, and we'll continue working with the landowners and the Environment Agency to secure compliance and ensure the site is restored. We are aware this type of activity is a national problem, and we are committed to working with Government and other stakeholders to deter this kind of behaviour in Nottinghamshire."Councillor Darrell Pulk, cabinet member for neighbourhoods at Bassetlaw District Council, said: "Fly-tipping on this scale is an increasing issue nationally and usually carried out by organised criminal gangs who do not want to pay the costs of disposing of waste in a responsible and legal way.Article continues below"Sadly, Bassetlaw is not immune to this and as well as being extremely harmful to the environment, the cost of removal and remediation ultimately falls on councils and partner organisations like the Environment Agency to pick up the bill of disposing of the waste."This reduces the money that we could be spending on things that more positively benefit residents and businesses in our area. We'd like to remind everyone to think twice about who you ask to take away your waste and always ask for a waste carriers' licence."