Fly-tipper fined after rubbish dumped at popular Wigan walking spot

The rubbish, which included black bin bags full of objects and cardboard, was dumped just off Brocstedes Way, an area popular with walkers.

An environmental officer from the town hall visited and found correspondence from an address in St Helens among the waste.

The property was visited and a fixed penalty notice (FPN) dished out to the person for their part in the fly-tipping.

The money has now been paid and Wigan Council is warning other fly-tippers who flout the law that they will also be tracked down.

While staff have been redeployed to other front line services during the pandemic, the council says it is still investigating fly-tipping when witnesses supply information or there is notable evidence from the waste.

Coun Paul Prescott, cabinet member for environment, said: “There is absolutely no excuse for fly tipping, it is a nuisance to our communities and costs money to clear away.

“If residents are struggling with their waste then people are free to use one of our recycling centres after Wigan became the first local authority to reopen them for essential use.

“The crackdown on fly tippers is something we can’t do on our own so we ask residents to be our eyes and ears and to report anything suspicious, especially if approached by someone offering disposal services on the cheap.”

As well as those who dump rubbish at open spots anyone who decides to use bogus waste collectors to get rid of unwanted items could face prosecution.

Residents who use an independent waste contractor must make sure they are registered with the Environment Agency as a licensed carrier. Anyone licensed always needs to have a credit card style licence or certificate with them.

Recent statistics show the borough’s zero tolerance approach to fly-tipping, combined with staffing and technological investments, has produced encouraging results when compared to the national upsurge.

According to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the number of reported incidents of fly-tipping in 2018-19 stood at 1,696, down from 2,582 in 2014-15.

Despite being the second-largest authority in Greater Manchester, the numbers put Wigan as the third-best in the city region for the amount of recorded incidents and one of the only authorities to show a reduction.

The council said tackling fly-tipping in the borough is a priority, describing it as a blot on green spaces.

The town hall spends approximately £700,000 cleaning up fly-tips and has looked to reinvest in the fight against illegal waste.

Most notably, £120,000 has been spent on physical obstacles at notorious hotspots that prevent offenders from accessing sites easily, along with another £40,000 on covert CCTV and body cameras for enforcement staff.

Information about fly-tipping can be passed to the council via the Report It app or online at www.wigan.gov.uk