Authorities claim once a suitable contractor is found the ‘clearance operation should be able to begin swiftly’
Illegal toxic waste of Bolton House Road, Bickershaw.
Picture Jason Roberts / Manchester Evening News
The Environment Agency has said it is ‘carefully considering’ claims chemicals posing a health risk to human health have been found at an illegal dump in Wigan.
Approximately 25,000 tonnes of toxic waste remains at the site of a former scrapyard on Bolton House Road in the village of Bickershaw.
Last summer the ‘ocean of rubbish’ emerged and later a week-long fire saw tonnes of waste burned, emitting dangerous fumes and forcing nearby schools to close.
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This week, Sky News revealed it has been working with scientists from Oxford Indices to conduct testing of air, water and soil at the site.
At the Bickershaw site, it said research indicated a footprint for the toxic chemical P-tert amylphenol, which can disrupt the endocrine system.
It also claimed Triisopropyl phosphate, used in plastics which is toxic to aquatic life, was found in water at Bickershaw and at another two sites eleswhere in England where it tested.
The Bolton House Road site is currently sealed off and is subject to a closure notice.
The government says people should never enter due to the potential harm.
A criminal investigation is continuing to find out who was responsible for dumping the rubbish at the former scrapyard. A 58-year-old man from Birmingham was arrested in May on suspicion of environmental, fraud, and money laundering offences. He was later released on conditional bail.
In March, the government said it will directly fund the clean-up with the Environment Agency (EA) given more powers to enforce waste crime.
Five months after the clean up was announced the dump is still there.
Following the publication of the test results an Environment Agency (EA) spokesperson said: “Our scientists will carefully consider these findings alongside our own evidence.
“Illegal waste sites are created by criminals who dump untreated waste for profit with no regard for what they leave behind and how this may affect local communities or harm the environment.”
Giving a wider update on the Bickershaw site the EA said is has supported the local authority with the sampling of waste located on Bolton House Road as part of the wider response to the incident.
A spokesperson said said the EA carries out regular odour monitoring at and around the site and have not detected any significant odour issues during inspections.
It added: “The Environment Agency continues to work alongside the local authority and other partners to assess any potential environmental impacts and ensure the site is managed appropriately.”
Speaking about water at the site it said there are no controlled waters identified on or immediately adjacent to the site that were accessible to sample, or which showed evidence of being linked to the site that would have prompted investigation under the Environment Agency’s Water Resources Act powers.
It added: “In addition, we do not expect significant pollution from the waste deposits or water from the site to have initially entered groundwater beneath the site or left the site by surface drainage other than through the adjacent sewer connections for the following reasons.
“The Bolton House Road site is an industrial estate established on a former colliery pithead.
“Published geological mapping of the site indicates the presence of thick clay deposits beneath the ground, and beneath that, coal layers. The top clay layer is of very low permeability so is normally resistant to any infiltration of water or pollutants from the ground surface and the former mine shafts on the site have, according to the Mining Remediation Authority, been filled in, capped and sealed, preventing egress of mine gasses or ingress of water.”
On the clean up of the site the EA said: “Wigan site Defra officials are in regular contact with Wigan council and local residents to ensure the clean-up operation can move as quickly as possible with important steps to be taken before proceeding to clearing up the site.
“This includes Wigan Council procuring the services of a reliable and competent contractor who can be trusted to remove the waste safely and dispose of it properly and ensuring that the whole site – which comprises a few different plots of land – can be accessed legally by the clearance contractor.
“Our commercial specialists are providing Wigan council with close support on this matter and are meeting regularly.
“Once these steps have been completed, then the clearance operation should be able to begin swiftly.”
