What has happened?
In early July, there was a multi-agency response to a fire that broke out at an illegal waste site on Bolton House Road, Bickershaw. This response included Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue (GMFRS), Wigan Council, the Environment Agency, and United Utilities. A major incident was declared.
The Council and partners stepped up their civil contingency emergency response by supporting residents, helping with additional access to water and facilities, diverting traffic, and visiting people who needed additional help.
By Thursday 10th July, GMFRS confirmed that the fire was extinguished and the major incident was stood down.
On Friday 18th July, Wigan Council went to the Magistrates Court and were successful in having a closure order placed on the site to prevent further waste deposits, with support from partners.
The site continues to be monitored and inspected on a regular basis to ensure the environmental impacts are managed effectively.
What is a closure order?
A closure order stops any unauthorised people from entering the site and prevents more waste from being deposited. Currently, the only people permitted onto the site is one of the landowners and representatives of organisations such as the Environment Agency. A breach of the closure order is a criminal offence.
The order will be enforced by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) - any reports of activity at the site can be made via 101.
Wigan Council returned to the Magistrates Court on 17 October and, with support from our partners, have successfully applied for the closure order to be extended by the maximum period of a further three months. We also applied for a variation to the Order, to increase the area that the Closure will cover.
Is there an investigation?
The Environment Agency has an ongoing significant and complex criminal investigation into waste deposits at the site. It has visited the site, in partnership with the Council and GMP, and has started interviewing individuals under caution.
It has identified several sites, people, and companies where the waste may have originated from, or that may have been involved in the movement of the waste. It continues to gather evidence - members of the public who have information about the waste deposited on the site and those involved can report this to the Environment Agency on its incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
Whose responsibility is it to remove the waste?
The legal and financial landscape for clearing illegal waste sites is complex. The Environment Agency has sent out several formal notices to those parties with an interest in the land at Bolton House Road requiring the waste to be removed.
We understand the impact this site is having on the community and want it to be cleared as a matter of urgency.