Four men have been arrested over “atrocious” large-scale illegal waste dumping, believed to be around 25,000 tonnes, at a site in Wigan.
The illegal waste operation just a stone’s throw away from a school has caused significant distress for local residents and environmental damage.
Those living near the Bolton House Road site have endured persistent foul odours, while a week-long fire last summer forced the closure of nearby schools, the Environment Agency said.
Prime minister Andy Burnham condemned the organised waste crime, pledging it would not be ignored.
He stated that “families had had to live with an ocean of rubbish and were unable to escape the smells from the tip in their own homes.” The government has since announced it will directly fund the clean-up of the Bolton Road House site.
Wigan Council has already blocked the entrance with concrete barriers to prevent further illegal dumping and is now seeking a specialist contractor for the clear-up. Officers from Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and West Yorkshire Police, supporting the Environment Agency’s National Environmental Crime Unit, secured the arrests as the investigation continues.
Two men, a 41-year-old and a 35-year-old, from Wigan, a 24-year-old from Leeds and a 59-year-old from Liverpool, were arrested for environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.
The 24-year-old man from Leeds was also arrested over waste dumping at the Cave’s Inn Pits Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Shawell, Leicestershire, the Environment Agency said.
A 58-year-old man from the Birmingham area was previously arrested in May in connection with illegal waste dumping at the site.
Sue Longstone, director of operations for the north at the Environment Agency, said: “The illegal dumping at Bolton House Road and Cave’s Inn Pits are atrocious attacks on our communities, and we share the public’s utter disgust at these horrendous crimes.
“Our teams have been working relentlessly on these investigations, and our arrests are a vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing it further.”
Following the arrests, Mr Burnham said: “I have stood on Bolton House Road and seen what local people have had to live with.
“It is shocking – an ocean of rubbish piled up next to a primary school, and families unable to escape the smell in their own homes.
“This is not fly-tipping. This is organised crime, and it is local communities that are paying the price.
“For too long, this issue has been ignored. But not on my watch.
“Today’s action by the Environment Agency and the police is just the start of our plans. The days of making easy money from waste are over.”
Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said: “The appalling dumping of waste at Bolton House Road and Cave’s Inn Pits represents a blatant disregard for local communities and the environment.”
She said tackling waste crime was one of her top priorities, and the Government was giving regulators and enforcement agencies the powers and resources they need to break up criminal operations and hold those responsible to account.
