Residents have been urged to help the authorities come together to tackle fly tipping.

A meeting was held at All Souls, off Astley Street in Halliwell this week and heard a range of concerns from people who lived nearby.

As well as drug crime and dangerous driving, one of the biggest issues to be raised was leaving rubbish in public areas.

Cllr Rabiya Jiva, who represents the Halliwell area on Bolton Council, said: “Sometimes there will be excellent relationships already there with members of the community who can help us.

“But until people fly tipping are caught on camera, we need people to keep us informed.”

She added: “I’m asking for establishments and community groups to echo what we’re saying to people who are doing this, that we’re waiting for you, and we are on top of you.”

The Bolton News: The issue was discussed at a PACT meeting this weekThe issue was discussed at a PACT meeting this week (Image: Newsquest)

Following on from the meeting, this call already had some effect when a fridge left off Brookdale Close, not far from Blackburn Road was removed after being reported by a resident to ward councillor Kevin Morris.

But many of the residents who attended used the opportunity to call for more to be done.

Over recent months and years, rubbish being left behind has been a recurring problem in the area, as well as further afield in Bolton.

A community group announced last January that they had collected over 6,000 bags in Halliwell, while also working to clean up the effects of fly tipping in Astley Bridge and near the town centre.

The Partners and Community Together meeting heard how much more needed to be done to try and ensure that incidents like these are dealt with.

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Officials told the gathering how in many cases, the council is aware of where fly tipping hotspots are and who the culprits are likely to be.

But ensuring that they pay penalties for behaviour like this depends on intelligence and statements from other people in the area.

Many of these penalties can be far harsher than the usual £150 fine.

At the end of last year, Bolton Council announced a series of fines handed down to fly tippers, in some cases running into hundreds of pounds.