Council Westmorland and Furness Council has ordered an immediate halt to waste tipping at the Flusco Landfill Site near Penrith after finding waste was being deposited above the approved contours set by planning permission.
A Temporary Stop Notice, issued on 6 November 2025 under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, takes effect today (Friday 7th November) and requires all disposal and importation of waste to stop immediately. The Council says the action was taken because the activity was unauthorised development and needed to cease to protect local and residential amenity.
The notice allows only limited works to continue, including compacting existing waste, reprofiling material already deposited, and applying a 300 mm layer of soil to make the site safe. It will remain in force until 19 December 2025.
The order follows a series of serious permit breaches identified by the Environment Agency, which carried out inspections and drone monitoring at the site earlier this year. According to the Agency’s findings, the operator had carried out unauthorised waste deposits and engineering works, failed to manage landfill gas and contaminated water properly, and allowed discharges from an unapproved emission point.
The Environment Agency issued its own Enforcement Notice on 10 October 2025, citing multiple breaches of the environmental permit. Officials confirmed that damage to key infrastructure had prevented required groundwater and surface-water monitoring from being carried out correctly.
Residents in the nearby village of Newbiggin have reported ongoing problems with odour, noise and heavy lorry traffic linked to the site.
A spokesperson for Westmorland and Furness Council, said: "Westmorland and Furness Council is actively investigating a number of complaints about the site operating outside its approved planning permission. As this is an active enforcement investigation, the Council will not be able to comment further at this time, but we wish to assure residents that we are working closely with the Environment Agency on this matter."
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