Fears over used needles dumped in Wigan playing fields

Wigan Council had to send teams out to land behind London House in Swinley and a green spot in Ince after waste was abandoned there.

The rubbish left in a small patch of woodland, near the William Foster Playing Fields, caused particular concern as it included discarded dirty needles.

The resident who reported it said he had also seen syringes dumped in the area.

Items including mattresses, soiled nappies and food waste, meanwhile, were left on public land behind the Standishgate building used for independent living for people with disabilities.

Frustrated Wiganers who reported the fly-tipping hit out at how long it was left there before being removed by town hall cleaning teams.

However, the local authority said it was committed to keeping the borough clean and tidy and urged residents to help out by reporting those who dump rubbish incorrectly.

Paul Barton, director for environmental services at Wigan Council, said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and can be very expensive to clean up.

“Our officers have now dealt with the issue at the site on Wigan Lane and the fly-

tipping near Fosters Field in Ince.

“Our environmental education and enforcement team is operational seven days a week and works with residents to tackle all types of environmental crime, ensuring we have clean and tidy communities.

“We thank residents for disposing of their waste responsibly by recycling right and by using the councils household waste recycling centres this helps to keep the borough clean and tidy and helps us to keep council tax low.

“We would encourage residents to report any fly-tipping by using our ReportIT app so our teams can be made aware of the location and the job can be processed quickly.

“As part of The Deal it is vital that residents support us with this issue and we encourage anybody who witnesses fly-tipping to send us as much information about the perpetrator, including vehicle registration or a home address where possible so we can take action.”

Ince resident Steve Heaton said: “Discarded needles are a danger to the public and a health hazard.

“If a child were to hurt themselves with a dirty needle then the council would have a team down there removing the rubbish in no time at all.”

The resident who reported the London House fly-tipping, who asked not to be named, said the council did not deal with it within the time limit on its own website.

He expressed concern there will be more rubbish dumped there in future as it is not the first time the land behind the building has been targeted by fly-tippers.

To report an incident of environmental crime such as fly-tipping or dog fouling visit www.wigan.gov.uk/reportit or download the council’s ReportIt app.