Fire chief to complain to Wigan Council about the continued burning of fly-tipped waste at borough trouble spot

By Charles Graham
Published 1st Jun 2023, 09:13 BST
Updated 1st Jun 2023, 09:13 BST
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A fire station chief says he is writing to Wigan Council to see if it can tackle an ongoing and annoying problem of flytipped waste blazes at the back of borough homes.

A 999 crew from Atherton found itself yet again tackling a fire on land at the rear of houses in Melrose Avenue, Leigh, at 9.20pm on Wednesday May 31.

This time it was a large pile of tyres belching toxic smoke into the air.

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A general view of Melrose Avenue, Leigh, behind whose houses firefighters have been frequently called to burning rubbishA general view of Melrose Avenue, Leigh, behind whose houses firefighters have been frequently called to burning rubbish
A general view of Melrose Avenue, Leigh, behind whose houses firefighters have been frequently called to burning rubbish

It took two hours using a hose reel to put out the flames completely.

Watch commander Andrew Leyland said: “This is not the first time we have been to the land at the back of these houses for tyres and flytipped waste being set on fire and it is a drain on resources.

"I am notifying the council about the extent of flytipping there and the impact these fires are having on us and the neighbourhood.

"There are alley gates there but they generally seem to be left unlocked.”