Firwood Fold residents upset with flytipping

Residents living in Firwood Fold have been left upset that their neighbourhood is being used as a rubbish tip

Beth Johnson says that this is an ongoing “nuisance” which is “eroding” Firwood Fold’s “beauty”.

The small hamlet is the borough's first conservation area, and the birthplace of Samuel Crompton.

The area is a popular attraction, which brings people from far and wide.

Beth says that some of the items being dumped include a couch, a mattress, an old bike, and open rubbish bags.

She said: “The corner leading to Firwood, once the start of a path back in time, has seemingly become the dumping ground for unwanted furniture and stacked bags of litter - left in the open for animals to ravage in the night and spread across the street.

“As Bolton’s first conservation area, visitors from afar and proud locals alike visit Firwood Fold to step back over 500 years through a little piece of heaven.

Some of the rubbish being left (Image: Public)

“Yet present day nuisances are eroding its beauty without a care.”

She also said that cobbles were also sometimes either kicked out of place or stolen, and that the holes were filled in with tarmac by the council.

Beth feels that more should be done to protect the area and preserve the authenticity of the history.

She said: “The distinctive and original cobbles of Firwood are a large part of its uniqueness.

“But when cobbles are kicked out of place and stolen by careless passers, holes remain.

“And how does the council fill the holes of Boltons most charming street? Tarmac.

“Cheap fixes and corner couches are defacing our piece of history.

“And it’s in Boltons best interest that it stopped.

“Firwood is a place where the local schools bring children to tell the tale of Bolton’s most famous son - Samuel Crompton.

“It’s a place where walking groups come to explore, and locals come for a moment of peace.

“Let’s start taking care of our towns picturesque and peaceful retreat, before it’s too late.”

this has caused a lot of upset (Image: Public)

Ward councillor for Crompton Cllr Rabiya Jiva has said that fly tipping is an ongoing issue for the borough, and that there should be a “no tolerance” policy on the matter.

She said: “Fly tipping is a significant issue for Bolton and requires a hard-line approach.

“As a council we need to ensure we have a no tolerance policy on people who are breaking the law and causing grievous damage to our environment.

“While we are unable to patrol every street and road in Bolton, what we should do is provide timely manner for enforcement and investigation for our conservation spaces so the people of Bolton can enjoy these places without being blighted by unseemly pollution of any kind.

“I would also like to see our council paying greater heed to our environment as we know that a healthy environment is crucial to the wellbeing of our residents as the great outdoors provides an opportunity to refresh the body and mind.”

Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Nadim Muslim says that he is aware of the issue and that it is expected to be cleared on Friday.

 He said: “At the moment, we’re aware of one outstanding fly-tipping job at Firewood Fold, with specialist vehicles coming on Friday to remove the fly-tipping.

“There have been two instances in the same area over the last few months but both were swiftly dealt with by the Neighbourhood Services team.

“The main area of Firwood Fold is maintained to Ancient Highway Standards, (i.e. it’s original construction) and looking through our highways records the council has not carried out any repairs to the road.

“Many years ago, Neighbourhood Services have assisted some local residents with maintenance issues, but nothing recently.

 “We are not aware of any specific issues or complaints relating to road repairs.

“We’ve increased fines for fly-tipping, we’ve taken more people to court and successfully prosecuted them and made it a top priority for us as a council.

“We need to remember that it’s unscrupulous people that cause fly-tipping and we will always be tough on them.”

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