The chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, Baroness Sheehan, has called on the government to clear a 25,000-tonne illegal waste dump in Wigan, describing it as a 'grave environmental hazard'. The site, located next to a primary school in Bickershaw, caught fire last summer, forcing the school to close for ten days.
In a letter to the government, Baroness Sheehan urged the Environment Agency to act, noting that similar clean-ups have been funded elsewhere, such as in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. She warned of worsening conditions as temperatures rise, including rat infestations, flies, and maggots, and highlighted the risk of further fires.
The Environment Agency has drawn up plans to remove the waste but says it will only proceed if funds become available. Minister Baroness Hayman stated that the agency does not consider the Wigan site to carry the same level of risk as Kidlington or Hoad's Wood in Kent, where clean-ups are underway.
The largest portion of the land has no owner and has reverted to the Duchy of Lancaster. The government says the Environment Agency lacks powers to compel the Duchy to clear the site. Criminal investigations into the illegal dumping are ongoing, with four men arrested in connection with the Kidlington case.
