By Paige Harrop
Oldham and Tameside residents spoke out today after mattresses, beer kegs and heaps of rubbish were found dumped.
Popular walking trails Park Bridge and Daisy Nook, both within the Oldham and Tameside boroughs, have seen countless reports of recent fly-tipping. Just this week, unknown fly-tippers have left beds, large piles of rubbish and even beer kegs in Park Bridge alone.
Residents in and around the area state that it is an ongoing problem.
Johnny Melia, 52, a resident of Park Bridge for the last 20 years, said: “I’ve made it my mission the last three months to clear up all the rubbish and my little boy helps as well. I did a massive clear earlier in the week there was beds, asbestos sheets and beer kegs.”
Another long-standing resident of Park Bridge, Dan Bonser, 46, added: “I see fly-tipping in every quiet spot here. Initially the fly-tipping was concentrated, which gave me the idea to set up some cameras last August. Within the last week, someone has dumped a double mattress on top of a pile of rubbish.”
Many residents and walkers are doing their bit to keep the trails tidy, arranging to do litter picking online on Facebook groups ‘Park Bridge Preserve’ and ‘Friends of Daisy Nook Country Park’.
Failsworth resident Caron Bartley, 59, has also reported recent fly-tipping within the area: “Fly-tipping makes me angry, and the council are making it hard for people to get rid of waste and it makes me feel like they don’t care seem to care about what our area looks like.”
Paul Carrol, avid walker and Daisy Nook litter picker, added: “Oldham and Tameside Council need to work together and share what information they have because all the hotspots span the boundaries of the two boroughs. I think a plan to encourage the use of the refuse sites and lower or remove business charges for a while might help
Dan Bonser has taken pictures to monitor the situation and supplied the images below.
He said: “I feel in order to stop this the council need to start prosecuting offenders when presented with video evidence, as I have given them. Not only is it a health and safety risk, it is also a real eye sore which makes a lot of people fed up and sad, including me.”
An Oldham Council spokesperson said: “In Oldham, we take fly tipping extremely seriously.”
“We investigate every incident and if we find evidence we do take action, which could include a fine or prosecution, with 131 fines already issued since January.”
The spokesperson said there is no excuse for such a “reckless act”, especially when there is a local recycling centre on Arkwright street which is open in the week for residents to dispose of their unwanted items.
They added: “We also offer a Bulky Bobs service for those looking to get rid of larger items, and over the last couple of years we have invested in this area significantly to help tackle fly tipping with our officers working around the clock to ensure the tidiness of our borough.”
“As ever we remained committed to Oldham being a place residents are proud to call home, and we will come after anyone who doesn’t show that same pride for our town.”
To report fly-tipping in the Oldham and Tameside areas follow the links:
