A community group has launched a major clean-up operation in a bid to tackle fly-tipping.
New research from Keep Britain Tidy has revealed the scale of the UK's fly-tipping crisis, with 98 per cent of councils saying it's a problem in their area and 70 per cent describing it as a "major problem."
The survey found more than half of councils feel they'll never get on top of it, while two in five incidents are now linked to rogue "white van" operators profiting from illegal dumping.
But while the national picture is bleak, one Bolton community is making a difference.
Cawdor Street residents joined forces with Bolton Council and Bolton at Home to tackle persistent fly-tipping (Image: NQ)
Karen Liptrot, who leads the volunteer group Bolton Borough Litter Pickers, organised a major clean-up on Cawdor Street, Farnworth, to address persistent fly-tipping and littering.
The Keep Britian Tidy ambassador said: "I first started litter picking where I live in Farnworth back in 2020, and now it's become a borough-wide effort.
"We've got volunteers, council staff and local residents all working together.
"The aim is to remove the rubbish, support residents, and give them pride in where they live."
The Cawdor Street Action Day saw residents join forces with Bolton Council, Bolton at Home, and even students from Harper Green School to clear the streets and remove fly-tipped waste.
Harper Green students were involved in the clean-up (Image: NQ)
Skips funded by ward councillors and Bolton at Home were filled within hours, while waste and recycling officers attended to remove abandoned bins.
Karen added: "This is the seventh action day we've held in two years.
"We've had around 30 people here today.
"It's great to see everyone come together - this has been our biggest event yet because we have partnered with Bolton at Home."
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Now Bolton's biggest litter-picking group, the group run weekly clean-ups across the borough, collecting 50 to 100 bags of litter each time with teams of up to 20 volunteers.
Bolton at Home Jane Mullen was in attendance helping (Image: NQ)
Jane Mullen, neighbourhood project officer for Bolton at Home, said the event highlights how collaboration can make lasting change.
She said: "It's amazing to see residents getting involved - it really helps foster that sense of community.
"It gives the community the chance for a clean start, a fresh start.
"Keeping that momentum going can be hard, but when people take pride in their neighbourhood, it makes such a difference."
Bolton at Home worked alongside Glendale, Bolton Council, and the Bolton Borough Litter Pickers to support residents in disposing of waste responsibly.
CllrAyub and Cllr Khurram got stuck in helping the community (Image: NQ)
The initiative was supported by Cllr Nadeem Ayub and Cllr Hamid Khurram, who represent Farnworth North and helped fund the community skips.
Cllr Ayub said: "We've had lots of complaints about fly-tipping in the area.
"This is our second action day here, and it's great to see so many people involved.
"Hopefully, residents will see the difference and feel encouraged to report those who dump waste illegally."
98% say fly-tipping is a problem in their area, with almost three quarters (70%) reporting a 'major problem' (Image: NQ)
He said while clean-ups make a visible impact, tackling the problem long-term means encouraging residents to report offenders.
Cllr Khurram said: "It's all well and good cleaning it up, but if we don't stop people from doing it in the first place, it'll just continue.
"We need to educate and support people to do the right thing."
As the last bags were loaded into vans and skips overflowed with rubbish, Cawdor Street looked transformed, proof that community spirit can still make a dent in a national problem.