Hunt on for ‘inexcusable’ fly-tippers who dumped mattresses, furniture and toys on country road

Date published: 07 February 2020

The hunt is on for ‘inexcusable’ fly-tippers who have dumped piles of rubbish along a country road.

Mattresses, furniture and decorating debris were among waste discovered at four different spots along Ashworth Road, in Norden.

The road is becoming a hotspot for illegal dumping and the council has now issued a plea for any information that might lead to those responsible being brought to book.

Councillor Neil Emmott, cabinet member for environment, said: “Fly-tipping on this scale is inexcusable and impacts greatly on our beautiful countryside. 

“No evidence was found amongst the waste to allow for prosecution, resulting in a cost of £876 to remove the waste – a cost incurred by us all as taxpayers.”

He continued: “It’s an ongoing issue that we are doing everything in our power to combat, and we continually encourage Rochdale residents to help us in the process. If anyone has any information about this criminal act or fly-tipping in general, please report it.”

The waste, which weighed in at 1,620kg, took council workers three hours to clear.

One large pile – including discarded furniture, mattresses and children’s toys – was discovered between Yates Farm and Wind Hill Farm not too far from the wind turbine.

Another was found off the junction with Black Dad Lane – ironically under a ‘no fly-tipping’ sign. This one consisted of decorating debris, pallets and general rubbish.

And there were two other piles found opposite Old House Brook – near the new deer fencing.

This was mostly made up of mattresses and furniture. Additional fencing could be put up to prevent any further incidents.

Some residents have taken to social media to hit out at the fly-tippers, branding it ‘a disgrace’.

Anyone with information on the fly-tipping on Ashworth Road or anywhere else in the borough can report it at rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling 0300 303 8884.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service