Supersized illegal waste dumps to be cleared under new action plan

Three of the worst illegal rubbish dumps in England are set to be cleaned up at the taxpayers' expense as part of a national waste crime action plan launched by the government. Huge tips in Wigan, Sheffield and Lancashire - together containing 48,000 tonnes of waste - have been earmarked for clearance by the Environment Agency. A 20,000-tonne site in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, is already being cleared at a cost of more than £9m. Normally, the cost of clearing illegal sites on private land is met by the landowner. The plan has been welcomed by locals near the tips but villagers near one of the so-called supersites uncovered by a recent BBC investigation are angry that site is not being cleared. The three sites identified for clearance include a notorious dump in Bickershaw, near Wigan, which caught fire last summer, forcing schools nearby to close. Residents living in the area have previously told the BBC they feel "forgotten about" as they are surrounded by rats, flies and an "unbearable smell". Nicha Rowson, a beautician who has been forced to move her studio out of her home because of the stench, said the decision to clear up the site was "amazing news". "I'm sure the community tha