A Westhoughton councillor has vowed to fight against proposals to dump coal waste from Wigan at a green belt site in Westhoughton.

Cllr David Wilkinson says the proposal will cause three years of misery for residents near the dump site - a former open cast mine.

The proposal by Derbyshire-based Rackwood Colliery Co Ltd is to reclaim 200,000 tonnes of coal from an old tip off Schofield Lane, Wigan.

The coal would be washed and the waste deposited in Bag Lane Open Cast Mine off Leigh Road, near Daisy Hill.

It would cause a rise of up to 26ft in the 84 acres of land, situated between Leigh Road and North Road.

Thirteen objection letters including a petition from local residents were sent to the planning authority.

It is estimated 12 loaded lorries a day would take coal from the tip to power stations.

Westhoughton town council rejected the plan but Wigan Borough Council has now approved it.

Bolton councillors will make their decision at a meeting on March 26.

Cllr Wilkinson said: "We are getting all of Wigan's rubbish.

"It's okay for Wigan councillors to approve it.

"To them it's out of sight, out of mind."

Cllr Wilkinson said the open cast mine should have been filled by August last year after mining on the site finished.

He added: "For the residents it's three years of inconvenience from noise, dirt and traffic.

"I don't see why they should be inflicted with any more problems.

"At least they won't have the blasting noise from when the open cast mine was in operation."

He will be calling on the other councillors to reject the scheme.

Wigan Council spokesman David Mather said approval had been given because the plan would not break planning policies and guidelines.

He said: "If the councillors refused, it would go to a public inquiry, which would be expensive and it would be a case of fighting a lost cause."

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