Despair as Wigan borough street named the number one fly-tipping hotspot for the fourth year in a row

With a total of 97 reports between 2018 and 2022, Glebe Street in Leigh has become notorious for this type of behaviour in the borough.

One councillor, who lives in the area, is at the end of her tether with the issue and is collaborating with her fellow ward councillors to improve education on the matter as well as community engagement. Coun Samantha Brown has also been involved with litter picks which have gained traction with local school children.

“Fly tipping is without doubt a serious matter and one that presents a challenge for all local authorities up and down the country,” she said.

“My fellow ward councillors and I have been working hard with the assistance of numerous bodies to tackle the issue and are of the opinion that the increase in reports is down to improved levels of interactions with residents.

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"I would always encourage people to report fly-tipping as we are determined to help keep Leigh as clean and tidy as possible.

“I have also worked closely with the council on getting a monthly litter pick in the Glebe/Gordon Street area which is becoming very popular with the local school children and residents.”

Top five fly-tipping hotspots between 2018 and 2022 (following a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Local Democracy Reporting Service):

Glebe Street, Leigh – 97

Hope Street, Leigh – 36

Rydal Street, Leigh – 32

Platt Street, Leigh – 24

Maple Crescent, Leigh – 22

Council bosses have issued a stern reminder that fly tipping will not be tolerated in Wigan borough. Residents are also being reassured that all efforts are being made to ensure those responsible face the consequences of the illegal activity.

Environment officers have recently returned to “business as usual” operations following the pandemic and have an action plan in place to crackdown on fly-tipping, particularly in district centres. Back in April, two residents were hit with fines totalling more than £500 after dumping almost 50 bin bags of contaminated waste and furniture at the back of their property.

A Wigan Council spokesman 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 are urging residents to be aware of small businesses advertising on social media who claim to remove rubbish and we encourage those using such services to be vigilant and check the company has the relevant waste licences in places, as well as requesting waste transfer notes.

"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.”