Green Party welcomes proposed action to clean-up boat graveyard

LOCAL Green Party campaigners have welcomed proposed action to clean-up an eyesore boat graveyard at Fairfield and Howley.

Following on from last week’s press statement, Warrington and Halton Green Party have received a positive response back from Warrington Borough Council over their campaign to clear the boat graveyard situated off Farrell Street.

A WBC enforcement officer said: “I can advise that officers are aware of the site and have been in discussions with the landowner. Officers have been advised that the site is to be vacated by the end of May. Obviously, if this does not occur the enforcement team will then assess the expediency for formal action.”
the landowner getting up to his previous shenanigans. He never removed all the tyres from his wall; we will be keeping an eye on the situation.”

She continued, “A spokesperson for the enforcement team has indicated that it should be gone by the end of May. Let us hope so. The owner has done further environmental damage to this valuable green space, threatening wildlife, and potentially the Twiggeries, a Local Wildlife site on the other side of Farrell Street that is one of the few havens for wildlife remaining in Warrington.”

“We have received lots of supportive comments from angry people who are grateful that we have highlighted the issues. One suggested walking down the footpath on the opposite bank of Padgate Brook and one of our members, Geoff Settle (who is a Rights of Way parish path warden), did so.”

Geoff, a former Mayor of Warrington, said, “From my new vantage point on the path, I could clearly see two vans loaded with metal junk piles of soil, rubble and aggregate and even a caravan. It is an unlicenced scrapyard that would never get a licence. It’s illegal, unsightly, and very damaging to our environment. Unscrupulous people are following his example and dumping their illegal waste on the path.”

“It is the Green Party’s view that this needs to be brought to end immediately. They say that Warrington Borough Council is struggling to manage the problem across the borough and must rely on many teams of volunteers to pick up litter and waste each week.”

Geoff added that a local bird watcher telephoned him after reading the story on Warrington Worldwide and said that he gets angrier every time he drives past. He remarked that He said it used to be a good place for wildlife particularly breeding pairs of Reed Buntings, and he fears that the scrap yard might be impacting on the Red List (endangered) Willow Tits that thrive and have made their home in the Twiggeries. He believes that the illegal activities on this site are detrimental to nesting birds in the area.

Lyndsay McAteer concluded: “Who knows what is leaching into the brook and subsequently into the River Mersey and potentially into groundwater, poisoning our drinking water supplies. I am going to write to the Environmental Agency and ask them to investigate as well as follow up on Warrington Borough Council’s enforcement measures.”

Anyone wishing to let the Warrington and Halton Green Party know about any issues in Warrington or in Halton can email them on [email protected] or follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/warringtongreenparty