An illegal waste site was established at the site on Bolton House Road in late 2024. The Environment Agency began their investigation, which has since seen progress with an arrest made linked to this site and other sites across the country.
The EA advised that after their initial investigation visit, significant quantities of waste were dumped illegal over a short period of time in early 2025.
In early July 2025, the site caught fire. There was a multi-agency response to manage the incident and protect the public and environment, including Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue (GMFRS), Wigan Council, the Environment Agency and United Utilities. The Council declared a major incident.
After nine days, the fire was extinguished and the major incident stood down. A number of closure orders have been in place on the site since, to prevent any further illegal activity.
Since then, this multi-agency partnership has been working to get the waste removed and ensure that those responsible are held accountable for their actions with a lot of work behind the scenes to prepare for the waste to be removed later this year.
While there are several responsible landowners. Wigan Council is leading on the removal process ensuring that the voice of the community is at the fore.
The Council has received assurances from government that the funding will be provided for this clearance and is now working to progress this as quickly as possible. A contractor, Acumen Waste Services Limited, has now been appointed to clear the waste and work on site is underway.
Removing the waste from the site is not the of the story. The Council is already working with the community on ideas for what this site could be next. There a lot of different parties involved, and the majority of the land is not owned by the Council, so this will not be a quick or easy journey, but we are ambitious and optimistic about the future of Bolton House Road.