Westhoughton: Fly-tipping is out of control say litter-pickers

The team is made up of offenders to take on unpaid projects in the community.

The use of the scheme was brought up at the Partners and Communities Together meeting in Westhoughton recently after complaints from litter-pickers that the issue is 'out of control'.

The meeting heard from one litter-picker that the situation has got so bad that the volunteers are threatening to withdraw their services as they feel they are fighting a losing battle.

Sergeant Emma Crowe (left), Community Safety Officer Aaron McCarthy (centre) and Neighbourhood Inspector Jamie Hibbert (right) conducted the Police and Communities Together meeting (Image: Leah Collins) Responding to residents, Community Safety Officer Aaron McCarthy said: ”Unfortunately this is usually a council issue, but it is also worth putting to the Community Payback team in Bolton to see what can be done.

One resident said: “I was always bought up to deal with the little things first, then the bigger things will fall into place.

“I’m part of a litter picking group in Westhoughton and it’s getting to the point where we want to stop because of the amount of waste dumped there.

“We see people putting household waste in and around public bins, which is basically fly-tipping. Towards the railway line people dump mattresses and huge bags of litter.

“Surely, it’s dangerous for the train staff to go and clean that?

"It’s not just litter, this is wanton deliberate, oh I’ve just come out of McDonald’s, I’ll throw it over the fence – it’ll accumulate again a week after we’ve already cleaned it.

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“Another litter picking group in Westhoughton has said that they will now stop putting the green bin bags on the hoops so that the area will become a dump, maybe then people will realise.”

Adding to the concerns, another resident noted that children should be ‘taught about littering from primary school age’ in order to re-educate people on the subject.

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

People convicted of fly-tipping face an unlimited fine and, in serious cases, a jail sentence.

Mr McCarthy said:  “If you’re able to pass on contact information (for litter-pickers), I would be happy to look into this issue.”