Wigan borough's fly-tipping hot-spots revealed as council bosses take action to stamp it out

There were 57 reports of rubbish being dumped on Holly Grove, in Leigh, between December 1, 2023 and November 30, 2024 – making it the borough’s fly-tipping hot-spot.

And neighbouring Maple Crescent saw 41 reports in the same time, according to data secured by the Wigan Post.

Seven of the 10 streets with the most reports of fly-tipping during those 12 months were in Leigh.

It comes after Wigan Council took a number of measures to tackle the problem across the borough, including installing covert CCTV cameras.

It is now trying new ways of addressing the matter in Leigh specifically, which includes speaking to residents and gathering information to find those responsible.

The Wigan Post submitted a request to the local authority under the Freedom of Information Act to uncover the roads in the borough which were blighted by fly-tipping.

The 10 streets identified as hot-spots had a total of 416 reports of fly-tipping within those 12 months.

In second place was Warrington Road in Wigan – which runs from Newtown, through Worsley Mesnes and Goose Green to Marus Bridge – where there were 50 reports of fly-tipping during the 12 months.

There were 45 reports each from Henrietta Street, Leigh and busy thoroughfare Ormskirk Road, Pemberton.

The rest of the list was made up of Hope Street, Leigh (42 reports); Westwood Lane, Lower Ince (39); Glebe Street, Leigh (35); nearby Gordon Street, Leigh (32); and Rydal Street, Leigh (30).

In March, it was reported that the council was looking to more than double the fine for fly-tipping, from £400 to £1,000.

It also invested in a network of cameras around the borough, targeting hot-spots for environmental crimes and ensuring offenders were punished.

Dave Lyon, the council’s assistant director for environment, said: “Fly-tipping is a criminal offence which blights our environment and is expensive to clean up – we all have a part to play in tackling this issue to create a cleaner, greener borough for us all to enjoy.

“Our teams are currently prioritising work to continue and step up our crackdown on fly-tipping incidents across the borough, with the implementation of covert CCTV cameras, stricter checks on waste removal companies and increased education.

“We’re trialling a new way of working in Leigh hot-spots in particular, which involve a team of officers concentrating their efforts to tackle our hot-spot areas.

“The team carries out initial investigations and rubbish removal in one visit where appropriate and part of their role is to engage and talk to residents and gather information, which will help to identify offenders but also to find long-term solutions and prevent such incidents.

“The work is supported by our enforcement officers, who have powers to fine and prosecute offenders if they show a disregard or continue to fly-tip and blight our communities.

“If any of our residents spot an incident of environmental crime, we ask that you send us as much information as you can, including descriptions of the perpetrator, vehicle registrations or home addresses where possible so we can take action.”

Fly-tipping can be reported through the council’s website.