‘It’s embarassing. It’s an appalling mess.’

Residents near Woodhouses in Oldham have been left ‘disgusted and embarrassed’ by an ‘avalanche’ of rubbish blighting their neighbourhood.

An area along Medlock Road has become a hotbed for fly-tipping over several months. 

Images show the staggering extent of the problem, with abandoned fridges, mattresses, and toys, and even a sheep’s skull among the piled-up rubbish. 

“It’s a disgrace,” said Mark Brooks, 63, who posted a video of the mess on social media. I live in the village and pass it every day.  It’s like going into a public tip. That’s how bad it is. I’m just fed up. “

The Woodhouses resident owns a cleaning business, but says he would be concerned to approach the rubbish out of fear of ‘syringes, dirty diapers, and rats’. And he’s not the only concerned resident. 

“It’s very embarrassing when friends and relatives come to visit and see the appalling mess at the side of the road,” said Vicky Akin, 61, a podiatrist who has lived in the neighbourhood for 35 years. “I hate to think of all the vermin it attracts. It’s just such a shame, it used to be lovely.” 

Locals feel the area is being ‘neglected’ by the council, as despite several attempts to report the problem, they feel ‘nothing is being done’. 

“The fly-tipping has gotten worse over the last four months and is increasing daily,” Akin continued. “It’s not just a small bags. It looks like industrial tipping on a large scale. We as a group have notified the council several times but nothing as yet has been done.” 

Local joiner Barry Hampson, 61, says the issue has been going on for several years – and has left residents angry. Groups of villagers have been calling out for solutions – from erecting fences and introducing CCTV cameras, to turning the road into a ‘No Through Road’ – but say they are ‘knocked back’ by the council.  

 “Over the years the villagers have organised clean ups, but the area is soon blighted again with rubbish,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “The council has known for many years about the constant fly-tipping.”

Oldham’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods visited the site after the issue was raised to the council by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Cllr Elaine Taylor said: “This type of fly-tipping is completely unacceptable. We have cleaned this site a number of times already and another clean-up is already scheduled to take place on Monday. In the meantime, council officers will visit over the weekend to safely clear what they can. 

“Seeing this first-hand shows the real impact this has on the morale of local people, our environment, and community pride. So let me be clear: this behaviour will not be tolerated. We are stepping up our response. In this location, we’re looking at additional measures including fencing and CCTV as a deterrent. Where we have the evidence, we will be taking enforcement action to fine or prosecute those responsible. If you dump waste in our borough, you should expect the consequences.”