Trespassers now face a fine or six months in prison if they enter historic Wigan mill site

Pagefield Mill in Swinley, which is located next to Mesnes Park, has been vacant for many years and become a hot-spot for anti-social behaviour and arson attacks.

Numerous attempts have been made to secure the site and stop people entering the building, which is in a dangerous condition, or climbing its towers.

Wigan Council, supported by Greater Manchester Police, has now obtained a closure order following repeated incidents at the site.

The order is valid until October 8 and anyone found within the perimeter of the site could face an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison.

It comes after the council, which has no legal responsibility for the mill, spent more money securing the building to prevent further issues there last month.

Coun Lawrence Hunt, ward member for Wigan Central, said: “The council has been working hard with emergency service partners for a very long time, but our powers are limited because it is privately owned.

“The closure order highlights the seriousness of this behaviour and significantly ramps up the consequences associated with trespassing.”

Over the years, the council has spent more than £150,000 on preventing access to the mill while attempting to engage with the site owner

Coun Hunt added: “This building is severely dangerous and there are real risks associated with entering the site.

“The council may have no legal responsibility for the building, but we do have a moral obligation to keep our residents safe.

"It is frustrating that the owners have not done more to fulfil their own obligations and neighbouring residents deserve peace of mind, which is why we have continued to step in, but at our own financial cost."

Pagefield Mill is a listed building and forms part of Wigan's heritage assets, but has fallen into a state of disrepair.

The order comes as the council finalises new plans to protect and maintain heritage sites across the borough.

Wigan Council’s historic environment strategy will be published within the next month for public consultation.

The strategy will set a framework for how public and privately owned sites, such as buildings, gardens, historic ruins and landscapes, can be preserved and enhanced.

Coun Hunt said: “We are keen to protect our heritage and understand that this building could once again be a fantastic asset for our borough.

“We will continue to work with Historic England to look at future viable uses for the site so the building can hopefully once again serve the local community.”

A message from the Editorial Director, Gillian Parkinson:

Thank you for reading this story on our website.

But I also have an urgent plea to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality local news on this free-to-read site and in print, please purchase a copy of our newspaper as well.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on our town centres and many of our valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you buying a copy when you pop out for your essential shop or subscribing for delivery.

Our journalists are highly trained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards anywhere in the world. Our content is universally trusted - as all independent research proves.

As Baroness Barran said in a House of Lords debate this week on the importance of journalists: "Not only are they a trusted source of facts, but they will have a role to play in rallying communities and getting the message across about how we can keep ourselves and our families safe, and protect our NHS. Undoubtedly, they have a critical role."

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. In return we will continue to forensically cover the local news - not only the impact of the virus but all the positive and uplifting news happening in these dark days.

We thank all our readers and advertisers for their understanding and support - and we wish YOU all the best in the coming weeks. Keep safe, and follow the Government advice. Thank you.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:

You can subscribe for delivery by contacting us at [email protected] or calling us on 0330 4033004 for details of a participating newsagent near you.