Unbearable tip stench a nightmare, neighbours say

Residents who live near an illegal waste site have said they feel "forgotten about" as they are surrounded by rats, flies and an "unbearable smell".

The site in Bickershaw, consisting of 25,000 tonnes of waste, caught fire last summer, forcing schools to close nearby.

Nicha Rowson, a beautician who has been forced to move her studio out of her home because of the stench, said neighbours were "on edge" worrying about it burning again.

She said: "We've had rats in the house. We do see a lot of rats running round the streets and gardens."

"I used to work from home but due to the tip I have had to move elsewhere which has meant I have lost clients and business, as well as having to find childcare for my kids," Nicha added.

She said one of her two autistic children had been forced to stay away from their home apart from one night a week because of the smell and he could not "eat or drink and it makes him physically sick".

Her eldest child "jumps a mile thinking it's a rat" if anything moved in a bush, she said.

"The smells have been unbearable. We've had multiple fires. The flies. The smells.

"[Bolton House Road] used to be a community driven street and now our homes are basically unsellable."

Resident Marilyn Naylor said: "In the summertime the smell was dreadful.

"It's difficult. You're not angry, you're sad really. You're worried about the animals, worried about the kids.

"I just hope it gets sorted out soon."

The waste started to build up back in October 2024 and has been growing ever since.

A clean-up operation is under way but attempts to remedy the nightmare dump have been hampered by arguments over who should pay for it.

The land is partly-owned by several parties including Wigan Council and the Duchy, which inherited a third of the plot under an ancient law.

Landowners are usually responsible for clearing illegal waste but the law exempts the Duchy from that liability.

Resident Andrew Humphries said: "The mound of rubbish is bigger than the houses. You have to keep your windows and doors shut.

"If it's warm or a misty day, the smell is like driving behind a dustcart all the time", he said.

"We feel forgotten about. There are rats issues.

"Children don't play outside now.

"Everyone feels frustrated that nothing is being done."

Another resident on the street, who did not want to be named, said: "It's become a nightmare, the size of the site, the wagons up and down the road, every second of the day.

"It's just a nightmare."

Neighbour Carol added: "We want some answers and help to get it shifted.

"We don't know what we're breathing in. We had the fire, the school closed.

"You can't open your windows, you can't enjoy the garden. Even the country park stinks."

A joint summit is planned between the fire service, Environment Agency, and Greater Manchester Police in the coming weeks.

Deputy mayor Kate Green said: "This is causing very significant harm to the local community and is extremely frustrating for the residents.

"We are extremely concerned if we get a period of dry weather or if the waste starts to gets disturbed it increases a fire risk, so its strongly our view that the site needs to be cleared as soon as possible and they deserve action."

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has described the tip as "an ocean of rubbish".

He added: "We probably do need an intervention from the National Crime Agency, Environment Agency to deal with a problem on that scale."

Wigan Council said the local authority believed that "those who have dumped the waste should be responsible for its clean up, and failing that the landowners".

"As one of the impacted landowners, we are making efforts to clear the waste on our land," a spokeswoman added.

"We continue to implore all landowners to take the necessary steps to fulfil their own obligations, and we call on the government to make funding available – via the Environment Agency or other department – to help remove the waste, as has been done for other sites."

The Environment Agency (EA) previously said waste crime "scars our communities", and it was "committed to tackling it in Wigan with the local council and the police, as well as across the country".

The BBC has contacted the EA for further comment.

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