Derelict Wigan mill intruders now face fine or jail

A closure order has been granted for the Pagefield building overlooking Mesnes Park, making it a criminal offence to trespass onto the site.

Wigan Council obtained the court order with the support of Greater Manchester Police and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service following a long and worrying litany of anti-social behaviour incidents.

The former Rylands cotton mill and Wigan and Leigh College annexe has been a magnet for mainly teenaged boys who have vandalised and torched parts of the listed building and also been filmed fooling around on the roof and top of the tower.

For years the local authority has been pressing the current owners - Pagefield Developments Ltd - to do something with the premises or at least secure them. But time and again the town hall has been forced to intervene and tighten security. Recently part of the mill was deliberately demolished to make illegal access harder.

On all occasions the bills for this work are sent to Pagefield Developments.

Until now closure orders have largely been used to prevent visitors to particular Wigan homes which have become the focal point of criminality and anti-social behaviour, and numerous people have ended up in court to be prosecuted for breaches.

But rarely have they been used to keep people out of large, non-domestic buildings.

The order was granted by Wigan Magistrates’ Court on June 29 and is valid for three months. During this time any person found to be within the perimeter of the site could be liable to an unlimited fine and/or imprisonment.

Residents who live near to Pagefield Mill also offered support to the council by not only providing information on many of the incidents that have occurred at the site but also attending court.

Coun Kevin Anderson, portfolio holder for Police, Crime and Civil Contingencies, said: “Our success in getting this closure order is a demonstration of partnership agencies within the Wigan community working together and achieving positive outcomes for the area.

“I would also like to thank all those residents who supported us and worked with us in tackling this ongoing problem.

“By making it a criminal offence for anyone to trespass here highlights the seriousness of this behaviour and dramatically increases the severity of the consequences.

“It is deeply regrettable that we continue to see people trespassing on this site and are still receiving reports of anti-social behaviour. The council may not have a legal responsibility for the building, but we do have a moral obligation to keep our residents safe.”

Pagefield Mill is a privately owned listed building and forms part of the borough’s impressive heritage assets but has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The closure order granted at the end of June is the second to be put in place at Pagefield Mill. A previous order was granted last July and was in place until October before being extended for a further three months until January 1.

During that period, there was a reduction in the reports from both residents and the emergency services. Between August 2019 and July 2020, prior to the first closure order, the police received 27 reports at the site. During the period the order was in place, there was only nine.

Coun Anderson added: “We have seen that this kind of order can be successful and by reducing anti-social behaviour here it allows our emergency responders from GMP and GMFRS to concentrate their efforts on the real emergencies in the area.

“This building is severely dangerous and there are real risks associated with entering the site. For everyone’s safety we urge people not to trespass.”

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