Dangerous waste dumped at Wigan beauty spot

Earlier this month, the Friends of Three Sisters reported that a container full of the hazardous material had been left in the middle of the car park on the Ashton nature reserve.

Just over 24 hours later, John Hare, managing director at Alliance Door Engineering Ltd and Profile Door Engineering on Warrington Road Industrial Estate, noticed a large item had been dumped just metres from the doors of his office.

“Seeing as it happened around the same time within close proximity, I would say it could be the same people doing this,” he said.

“I can’t believe it to be honest.

“I would be interested to know who is employing these people to dispose of asbestos.

“I do think it’s someone who has done a job on the cheap.

“They will be putting themselves and everyone else at risk.

“They have smashed all of that asbestos up so the fibres become airborne.

“It’s absolute stupidity.”

Mr Hare said that the council were contacted the next day, but that the asbestos waste still remains in the middle of the road at the site.

Paul Barton, director of environment at Wigan Council said: “Our environmental enforcement team have attended the site and are liaising with nearby businesses to see if they have any CCTV covering the area where this asbestos has been dumped.

“We are now arranging for the asbestos to be removed as a matter of priority.

“Fly-tipping is not only a blight on the environment but in this case, the material fly-tipped could have been hazardous to the perpetrator of the crime and for any members of the public who could have come into contact with the material.”

“By working with members of the public we can ensure environmental crime is dealt with quickly, efficiently and most importantly, safely. Residents are encouraged to report environmental crime to the council by using the ReportIT app.”

Residents wishing to remove asbestos should visit www.wigan.gov.uk and search for ‘hazardous waste’.