A resident has been left angered after wooden pallets were left on a back street in Farnworth, saying it blocks wheelchair and pram access.

Mazhar Iqbal, who lives in the area, first noticed some wooden pallets on Loxham Street, close to Moses Gate Country Park, around a week ago and says it has been causing problems for residents on the footpath.

Mazhar said: “It has been here for over a week, and it has blocked access for people pushing prams, wheelchairs, and people walking here.

“A few residents told me they were not happy about it.

“I have reported it to the relevant department.

The Bolton News: Wooden pallets dumped on Loxham StreetWooden pallets dumped on Loxham Street (Image: Public)

“I feel ashamed that this has been dumped here and it has been here for so long.

“It’s not good for anyone in the area.”

He says that fly-tipping has been an issue on this back street and Starcliffe Street before.

He said: “So many people drive around, and they throw bags of rubbish away on the street, and I see fly tipping every day.

“In the morning, I have seen people going shopping or taking their children to school and struggling to get past because of the fly tipping and people parking their cars, so the footpath is completely blocked at times.”

The Bolton News: Resident Mazhar IqbalResident Mazhar Iqbal (Image: Public)Farnworth North councillor Cllr Nadeem Ayub says that this area has been problematic before, and he says that fly-tipping has become a borough-wide issue.

He said: “As a ward councillor I am more than happy to report the issue and get that cleared on Loxham Street, but residents can also report it to the council as well.

“It’s always a big issue in not only Farnworth but across the borough.

“We are grateful for the volunteers who go out litter picking and clean the area up.

“In Farnworth there were a number of bags cleared up near Moses Gate.

“If it gets reported to us, we take action and get it cleared up.”

Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, recently revealed there were 5,883 fly-tipping incidents in Bolton in the year to March 2023 – a substantial increase from 1,184 in 2021-22 and the highest figure since records began in 2012-13.

In Bolton, most fly-tipped waste was discovered in back alleyways, accounting for 43 per cent of recorded incidents. 


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