Bolton: 40 ft hole appears in Astley Bridge woodland

The deep hole appeared in the area in Astley Brook, off Waters Meeting Road.

Police are investigating and Bolton Council said it was aware of it.

Victoria Boyzie has been looking after the woodland for a number of years, clearing it from needles, beer bottles, and rubbish.

After going on holiday for two weeks, she came back to find the hole, which she said resulted in several trees being uprooted.

She said: “I am absolutely heart broken.

“I have been looking after this for two and a half years.

“The hole is about 40 ft.

“Kids could have died if they fell down that hole.”

Victoria explained that bottle diggers are usually digging for old Victorian bottles, which could be worth anything from £15-100.

She added: “Over the past three-or four-years bottle diggers have left holes, but they usually fill them in."

Victoria believes a digger was used to create the hole.

Before and after the hole was dug

She said: “The fields are getting smaller and smaller with the houses that are being built, and it needs protecting.

“We managed to save some of the trees, but not all of them.”

Victoria reported this to the council and the police.

Bolton council have now filled the hole in, which Victoria says took around six days, which she says she ‘really appreciates’.

But Victoria also had to fill one of the holes herself.

She said: “The council were so grateful for the hard work we had been doing in the community.

“They filled it in, and it took five or six days for the council to fix.”

Victoria has done that same walk for over 40 years, as she lives across the road from the forest.

She said: “I have never been so upset or experienced so much disappointment in such a short space of time.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it.

“I looked after it for many years and started seeing a lot of needles and drinks in the forest.

“During Covid, I started going down more regularly, so that kids didn’t hurt themselves."

Victoria has also created some benches in the forest from wood, and helped to look after the rivers.

She has urged everyone to help keep it tidy and not to leave any rubbish around, so ‘everyone can enjoy it’.

Bolton Council confirmed that the hole had been filled.

A spokesman said: "We would like to thank residents for their assistance and for alerting the police."

If you have a story and something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at jasmine.jackson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @JournoJasmine