Illegal dump in Wigan should be cleared, peer says

Baroness Sheehan urged the Environment Agency to clear a 25,000-tonne illegal waste dump beside a primary school in Bickershaw, Wigan, citing environmental and public health risks; the agency says removal is planned only if funds are available and does not judge the site to carry the same level of risk as other cleared sites.

A large illegal waste site sits beside a primary school in Bickershaw, Wigan. Baroness Sheehan, chair of the Lords environment committee, visited the site and has written to ministers urging the Environment Agency to clear the waste because of environmental and public health concerns. The site burned for 10 days last summer, which led to the temporary closure of the school and nearby residents shutting windows due to fumes. The Environment Agency says it has plans to remove the waste only if funds become available and currently considers the site to present a lower level of risk than other cases it has addressed. Known details: - The dumped material is reported as about 25,000 tonnes and is located next to a primary school in Bickershaw, Wigan. - The site caught fire last summer for 10 days, prompting a school closure and local disruption from fumes. - Baroness Sheehan has described the site as a grave environmental hazard and has asked for ministerial direction for a clean-up. - The Environment Agency says removal is conditional on available funding and does not view the site as carrying the same level of risk as the Kidlington case. - The largest area of land involved recently reverted to the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster, and officials say the agency currently has no powers to require the Duchy to clear that land; criminal investigations into the dumping are ongoing. Summary: Officials report a large illegal dump beside a primary school that previously burned and disrupted the school. The Environment Agency says it will remove the waste only if funding is secured and does not currently classify the site as matching the highest-risk cases it has acted on. Ownership issues with the Duchy of Lancaster and the agency's stated lack of enforcement powers affect the situation. Criminal investigations into the dumping are ongoing.