A man has become agitated after his complaints to local authorities about the ongoing fires on Great Harwood scrapyard have not been resolved.
The resident, who lives in Railway Terrace, Great Harwood, who has asked to remain anonymous, said this has been a persistent issue of commercial waste burning since Bonfire Night on November 5 which he claims is at Great Harwood Skip Hire's site.
Though he has reported the fire to Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, and Hyndburn Police, the issue has not been dealt with and the situation seems to have gotten worse as the complainant says he is unable to walk his dog on ‘bad nights’.
The man said: “We’ve been gathering evidence on this for a while, and I’ve reported this to different places but haven’t heard anything back since.
"Every time I call up, I get put through to the switch board and receive contradictory information and I can't get through to the Environment Agency.
“They've been burning the commercial waste since Bonfire Night and it’s non-stop. It’s so bad sometimes I can’t even walk the dog, and it obscures visibility on bad nights.
“We could smell the smoke in the house last week, it was that bad.”
The resident sent in photos, taken two weeks apart, highlighting the severity of the blaze as it can be seen almost a mile way at night, and even through the fog last week.
Other residents in the area shared their complaints about fires near Alan Ramsbottom Way and St Hubert Street, claiming the smoke smells like ‘burning tyres’; this practice is illegal as it can harm health and pollute the environment.
Great Harwood has had several problems with illegal skip facilities over the past years and seven people were jailed in 2018 over a £1m illegal waste facility in Great Harwood.
Earlier this year, the Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) crushed seven skip wagons in the illegal waste site in Great Harwood.
The action was part of an investigation into a number of individuals and related companies concerned in the unpermitted activity that causes harm and distress to the residents and community and unacceptable risk to the environment.
There is nothing to suggest these cases are linked to Great Harwood Skip Hire.
Later on in the year, one resident posted in a local Facebook community group saying he went to feed his chickens on the morning of November 5, but the smoke was so bad he ‘couldn’t breathe’ and would be surprised if his chickens survived throughout the night.
One person called for other residents to report these issues to the council, police and fire services as “the authorities seem to be turning a blind eye to the issue."
Hyndburn Borough Council was asked why the situation has not yet been resolved and who is responsible for the fires. The press office responded with advice on how to report fires.
A spokesperson said: "We encourage residents to use this form so we can log reports and inform any necessary action."
Great Harwood Skip Hire was contacted but refused to confirm or deny any claims.
To log a report, visit the Hyndburn Council website.
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