Fly tipping, happening more and more often

Dear Editor,

Warrington Nature Conservation Forum (WNCF) are asking people to respect the countryside whilst we still have some left in Warrington.

A couple of years ago they campaigned and got WBC to place a waste bin on Delph Lane at the start of the footpath to Croft and Houghton Green Pool. It was the time when the BBC’s weather lady Diane Oxberry featured the fly-grazing horses grazing on the land in her news programme North West Tonight.
Secretary Roger Lamming said “I have enjoyed visiting Houghton Green Pool for many years but one issue that annoys me is the way litter is discarded by visitors, BBQs and fires in the summer months.
At our last annual litter pick we collected several black bin bags full of plastic bottles, crisp packets, cigarette cartons, dog poo bags hanging from branches and two dinghies.
Visitors could easily have carried most of these things to our waste bin or taken them home!”
Last Wednesday WNCF chair Geoff Settle was running from Cinnamon Brow to the wildlife site to check on the Pool’s water level. He crossed over the M62 Delph Lane bridge and headed downhill towards the footpath. He stopped halfway down the hill when he saw a mass of rubbish tipped down the steep embankment. It looked like it had come from a low loaded lorry that had fly-tipped plastic crates, toys and all sorts of household rubbish.

He said “I had my camera with me and shot a small video of what I saw there and 20 meters further on by the waste bin where there is lots of litter and five tyres
https://www.facebook.com/geoff.settle/videos/10215172648890607/
“I also took some photographs and logged details on the WBC fly-tipping web page
https://www.warrington.gov.uk/flytipping

ref: 412130.

The problem doesn’t stop here, farmers in Winwick are constantly battling to stop fly-tipping on their land by barricading field entrances with straw bales. The countryside is following the rest of Warrington in having to deal with these issues unfortunately everywhere is under siege.

Geoff said, “Not only does it look unsightly, but the rubbish poses a great threat to local wildlife. There must be smarter ways that will lead to convictions of these cowboys and litter louts such as:

  1. Use of wildlife cameras featured Countryfile and record details of the fly-tippers, perhaps their vehicle registration.
  2. Litter warden scheme my local Parish Council, Poulton with Fearnhead Parish have started a pilot scheme. The warden has already collected a lorry load of rubbish and two car tyres in a few days. However, the Parish shouldn’t be duplicating the work that we are paying WBC to do.
  3. More educational visits to schools by Phil Chadwick, WBC’s educational waste and recycling educational officer. He does fantastic work and hopefully the children go home through peer pressure spread the word of a cleaner environment.
  4. We need more people reporting and logging details about fly-tipping, litter and dog fouling. The more evidence gathered leading to prosecutions and fines the better.

Kind regards
Geoff Settle – Chair WNCF