A volunteer litter picker has called for stricter measures to be imposed on fly tippers after collecting 70 bags of rubbish.

Andy Capstick has been a volunteer with The Litter Pickers of Astley Bridge for two years now and says he wants to ‘make a difference for the wildlife and help make Bolton better’.

Amongst some of the rubbish Andy and the volunteers collected from Waters Meeting Road to KFC on Blackburn Road, was an Asda trolley, a table, a barbecue, a bread bin, and take away rubbish, plus drinks bottles and cans.

Andy said: “I have been volunteering for two years, this month.

“And in that time, we have collected 6,000, over 200 tyres, and removed three burnt out cars, which is down to a lot of theft in the area.

“We have transformed The Mop woodlands area, near the closed pub Weavers Arms and you can see all the wildlife now.

“It’s amazing that all the wildlife is coming back and not covered in people’s rubbish anymore.

“When you walk through you can hear the birds singing and see the greenery.

“It’s 2022, I don’t get why people do this.”

The Bolton News: Before and after cleaning up The MopBefore and after cleaning up The Mop

He says that this is something that has been ‘going on for decades’ and stems from ‘years of apathy’, and is also behind the rat problem in Bolton.

Andy said: “There has to be a massive strong deterrent to stop people fly tipping because the system as it is and was, is not working.

“All these places we have been cleaning up such as The Mop, Little Wood, Spa Road riverbank, are decades of apathy.

“Private landowners should be enforced to clean up.

“There are a lot of lovely areas in Bolton that are being ruined because some don’t think about anybody but themselves and don’t see the bigger picture.”

Andy, along with many other volunteers is also part of North Bolton Little Pickers and collects fly tipping daily across Bolton.

Cllr Stuart Hartigan – who represents Breightmet – has called to increase the fines imposed on those fly tipping in public areas, acknowledging that it is a huge issue.

The maximum fixed penalty for dumping waste in a public area in Bolton is currently £400.

The Bolton News: Some of the many clean-up efforts that Th Litter Pickers of Astley Bridge have carried outSome of the many clean-up efforts that Th Litter Pickers of Astley Bridge have carried out

Cllr Hartigan said: “Bolton Council’s enforcement department have chosen to issue the largest fine permissible by a local council for fly-tipping.

“Could we ask the minister for Environment for more powers or the ability to issue larger fines to act as a bigger deterrent for those considering breaking the rules.”

Responding to his question, cabinet member Hilary Fairclough, said: “I’m delighted that Bolton has set all their fines to the maximum permitted.

"Those limits on fixed penalties are decided by the government. I will be happy to approach the minister to look into whether those fines can be raised.

“We are doing all we can to take a robust position on environmental crime.”

A maximum £400 fine was issued earlier this month for flytipping on Stitch-Mi-Lane, Harwood.

Bolton Council urges rethink on maximum penalties for fly-tipping

Speaking after the incident, a spokesperson for Bolton Council said: “Everyone has a legal duty of care to ensure their household or business waste is disposed of correctly.

"You can be fined or prosecuted if your waste is flytipped by someone else on your behalf.

“You should always use a registered waste carrier if someone else is collecting your waste.”

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