Anger at wait for rotting rubbish to be cleared up
ANGRY residents say they have been left waiting more than a week for the council to remove piles of ‘unhygienic’ rubbish left by travellers camping in a field.
A large group of travellers were first seen setting up an encampment on Cringle Playing Fields, Burnage, at the end of June.
During their stay, which is believed to have lasted around two weeks, people were seen riding motorbikes through the grass, cutting down trees and dumping litter.
Residents said they noticed the group had left on July 9 but said the area was left in a ‘shocking’ state.
Three days later, on July 12, they contacted the council to let the authority know there was still mess on the field.
Their concerns were logged and they were told the issue would be investigated within five working days. Burnage councillor Azra Ali replied to the resident two days later to say the council was ‘in the process of organising removal of all the rubbish.’
The resident sent another email to the council on July 17 to say that the majority of the rubbish still remained.
Coun Ali replied again the next day to say the enquiry was being looked into ‘as a matter of urgency.’
But the majority of the rubbish was still seen on the playing fields on Monday, eight days after the resident first contacted the council.
“The only rubbish that has gone is the large pile of bin bags on the road outside of the field,” the resident told the M.E.N. “These are right opposite houses and potholes on that road were getting fixed last week. I presume the bin bags were removed only to facilitate the road work that was being done.
“I understand that certain businesses have been stretched at this worrying time however this should not have been allowed to happen.
“The travellers that left the area are only going to go somewhere else and do the same and it really is disgusting.” Manchester council said the clear-up delay was due to the sheer amount of littering but workers had started the clear-up operation yesterday.