Oldham resident finds address among fly tipping in garden

Tracy Ogden shares her communal garden with seven neighbours in the Watersheddings area of Oldham.

However, she said fly-tipping has become a frequent occurrence in their shared green space over the years and, as of Sunday (January 7) one recent load of rubbish bags seemed to identify someone.

Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts 

Photographs show dozens of black waste bin bags piled high in the garden with many pouring litter out onto the path and grassy verges.

Another image shows two large paintings were also left on a wall.

But despite reporting previous fly-tipping instances to the Council, Ms Ogden said she has been left to clear up the mess herself.

Ms Ogden said: "It's been an ongoing saga for years now.

"I've seen bags with dirty nappies and household waste thrown over the wall.

"Last year, I paid £200 to get it cleared as there was a bed left - people leave all sorts on the corner.

"I've had the garden tidied numerous times and stopped it for a while, but this rubbish has built up over Christmas.

"The two bags standing alone had been left in the ginnel one evening last week which I nearly fell over in the dark."

Bags of waste have been piled high and left in the neighbours' communal gardens (Image: Tracy Ogden)

She said she is "fed up" with the persistent problem and described it as "unacceptable".

She continued: "It's all over the paths and blown over the garden. It's blocking access to my property.

"I've always maintained the garden as I like to use it in the nice weather and it's the view from my home."

Ms Ogden admitted she hasn't always reported the problem as she wondered in the past if it was a neighbour.

However, she said, "I know them all now and know it's not them as an address has come out of the rubbish."

A photograph shows an empty package had been discovered amongst the waste.

The package has a label with a name and address, which has been blurred by The Oldham Times.

Councillor Chris Goodwin, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, said: “We really sympathise with this resident.

“She's trying to make the garden look nice and others are happy to use it as dumping ground.

“It's not on.

"Following the report, our officers have visited the site and have found evidence linking the waste to an individual. They will be hearing off us very soon.

“In the last two years we've handed out more than 640 fines for environmental crimes as part of Don't Trash Oldham and we'll continue to take action against those who think they can leave their rubbish for others to clean up.”

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.