Concerns have been raised over a "really bad area" of fly-tipping in a part of a borough town.
Piles of bricks, boxes and wooden boards was dumped on the pavement in Mount Street, Horwich, around two weeks ago.
Charlene Bessell, founder of Horwich Cleanup Brigade, said illegal dumping in the town, especially in the "Railway Terraces" area, can take "weeks" or "months" to collect.
She said: “The Railway Terraces is a really bad area for fly-tipping. There are back streets that aren’t visible from the road.
“So, a lot of people go down there and dump their household waste.
“We're having to repeatedly report the same fly-tips.
“Sometimes it can take two or three months for them to get to it.
“By six weeks, other people add to the rubbish pile. If someone fly-tips, other people think it's okay to do it.
“For instance, if someone leaves dog poo bags, we come back a week later and there’ll be 20.”
Horwich Clean Up Brigade has been cleaning up rubbish and gardening in the area for five years.
Since then, Charlene said she has reported "hundreds" of instances of fly-tipping.
This was revealed in a council meeting five months ago – and Horwich was called a "less demanding" area.
Cllr Sue Haworth, cabinet member for regulatory services and property, said: “The council has limited resources. There are more demanding challenges in other wards with higher density populations.
“The enforcement team works closely with local groups.
“There have been cases where volunteers offered information to the team but the burden of proof threshold for fly-tipping is that [it has to be] beyond all reasonable doubt.”
Charlene said: “They said Horwich isn't a priority area as there's worse parts of Bolton.
“That’s not good enough. Horwich is still in the borough, the residents pay council tax.
“We expect services to be delivered regardless of what part we’re in.
“We feel that we’re almost expected of us volunteers to back the council up."
In response, a council spokesperson said: “The council’s neighbourhoods and enforcement teams work closely with volunteers in Horwich to keep local communities clean, including hotspot areas.
“The Railway Terraces area has experienced high levels of fly-tipping in recent weeks and the council is working in partnership with volunteers to monitor, inspect and enforce in these specified areas.
“Gooch Street has been cleared recently, with plans in place to clear Siemen Street, Abernethy Street and Mount Street.
“The council continues to provide training and guidance to teams on leaving sites clean and tidy, alongside monitoring to ensure the expected level of quality is delivered.”
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