Councillor calls for security to be increased
The latest pile of rubbish to be left in Springwater Park, Whitefield.
A council investigation is to be launched after fly-tippers struck for the fourth time in recent months at a town’s newest nature reserve. Springwater Country Park in Whitefield is just seven miles from Manchester city centre and a mile from the M60 Junction 17.
It sustains a wide range of wildlife including deer, frogs, newts, and bird species such as kestrel, buzzard, grey wagtail, dipper, reed bunting, tree creeper.
The last of the sand martins which nest in the ocre banks of the Irwell are about to leave and on the river heron, little egret, goosanders, mallards, feed and breed.
But it appears another species is choosing to roost – criminals dumping waste and the contents of home clearouts. Now one councillor has called for security at the park to be stepped up.
Once again a car park at the bottom of a road leading into the park is where the rubbish has been left. This time it includes chairs, builders’ debris, and bags of wooden panels. Locals have reported it to Bury council and a key piece of evidence was found at the scene – boxes containing the full address of a person from Withington, Manchester, which has been passed to council officers.
Once the site of a bleachworks the site has now been reclaimed by nature. Cobbles, stone pillars, and the outline of buildings are consumed by woods, cloughs, and two ponds.
In April and May fly tippers struck three times in three weeks. In the third incident in the second week of May they marked their fleeting stay in the car park with a trail of debris, clutter, and black bin bags. The crowning jewel of their unwanted stash of trash was a classless glitzy fireplace, dumped along with wooden fencing, a super woofer music box, mattress, and a sun shade.
The fireplace left dumped at Springwater Park in Whitefield, in May. (Image: Neal Keeling)
At the time Councillor Alan Quinn Bury Council’s cabinet member for environment, climate change, and operations, was outraged. He told the Manchester Evening News: “There is a friends group at Springwater Park and they do a load of work, even testing the water quality. They do brilliant work – members of the public who go over and above because they love Springwater Park. Then you get these b*******s who don’t care.
“The people who do this are criminals. It is a criminal offence dealt with in a criminal court. New fly-tipping laws are coming in and I wish the government would shift the burden of proof from beyond reasonable doubt to on the grounds of probability. As an ex magistrate of 12 years I know it takes a lot of money to take someone to court.”
The latest incident has triggered a call for increased security at the park. Local councillor, Russell Bernstein, said: “I want to thank all the volunteers who give so much to making Springwater Park the excellent facility it is for people to enjoy. It is very disappointing that some people choose to behave in such an irresponsible manner creating such a blot on the park’s landscape.
A grey wagtail pictured at Whitefield’s Springwater Park by Caroline Horner(Image: Caroline Horner)
“Whilst I appreciate council finances are limited I will be exploring what additional resources can be provided to support all the hard work undertaken within Springwater Park.”
The latest incident has infuriated locals. Gill Da Costa commented on social media: “Absolutely disgusting! If they can put it in the car why can’t they take it to the tip grrrrr.”
Tom Earnshaw posted: “Needs a barrier putting at the top where the height barrier is to stop cars going down. Keeps happening and is only going to get worse.”