Three Greater Manchester boroughs have unfortunately claimed place in the list of the UK’s top 10 fly-tipping hotspots.
There’s absolutely no denying that fly-tipping has becoming an increasing issue in recent years, with the UK’s rubbish problem piling up… literally. And now new analysis of Government data has revealed that councils in England dealt with more than 2.7 million fly-tipping incidents in the past year.
In theory, this is the equivalent of more than 7,397 illegal dumps every single day.
The research, which has been conducted by garage clearance company, Rainbow Rubbish Removals, ranked local authorities on the scale of their littering crisis, looking at the number of waste and land incidents, as well as the total amount of fines issued.
This was all in a bid to find out who has earned the unwelcome title of Britain’s fly-tipping capital – and it’s not pleasant news for Greater Manchester.
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Three Greater Manchester boroughs have been named in the UK’s top 10 fly-tipping hotspots / Credit: Alan Stanton (via Flickr)
Thankfully though, while three boroughs in our region have found themselves on the top 10 list, they’re not right near the top and actually claim the last three places – with Oldham at number eight, Manchester at number nine, and Bolton in the tenth spot.
Oldham recorded 479.28 fly-tipping incidents per 10,000 residents, Manchester recorded 348.36, and Bolton had 503.36.
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While Bolton recorded the most incidents out of the three local regions, it actually dished out the least amount of fines for the incidents, hence why it falls below below Oldham and Manchester.
Claiming the non-so-favourable title of the UK’s fly-tipping capital is Lewisham.
Top 10 Fly-tipping Hotspots in the UK
Lewisham
Newcastle
Westminster
Peterborough
Newham
Hammersmith and Fulham
Brent
Oldham
Manchester
Bolton
Several other boroughs in London also found themselves in the top 10, with Westminster, Newham, Hammersmith and Fulham, and Brent all featuring.
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“Fly-tipping isn’t just an ugly blot on the landscape, it’s a stubborn public health risk and an environmental time bomb,” commented Miroslav Radov, who is a waste expert at Rainbow Rubbish Removals.
“Our findings reveal a worrying pattern in big cities, especially London [and Greater Manchester].
“If action isn’t stepped up, these areas could become permanent dumping grounds, with taxpayers footing the clean-up bill year after year.
“Solving this crisis means more than just sweeping up the mess – it calls for tougher penalties that bite, more accessible waste disposal options, and a cultural shift where people take real responsibility for the rubbish they create.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Greater Manchester officially launches five-year climate change action plan
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has officially begun its five-year climate change action plan, with the overarching goal of becoming a net-zero city region by 2038.
The comprehensive pledge put together over a number of years itself will see Manchester City Council and the nearby local authorities put into action a number of key measures that will help to reduce not only central carbon figures but, eventually, across the 10 boroughs in turn.
Over the last 15 years, emissions have been reduced by approximately 64%, saving an estimated 44,344 tonnes of carbon through cleaner building energy, street lighting and other electronics, as well as the increasingly green and over-growing Bee Network.
They have also insisted that it isn’t just about cutting down on greenhouse gases; the aim is to make the city region and the surrounding areas more sustainable, affordable and create a better standard of life.
Our five-year plan to tackle climate change launches today. 🌏
It details how we’ll continue to deliver dramatic reductions in the amount of carbon we emit (the biggest contributor to climate change). 🏙️
As per the summary on the Council website, in addition to creating more efficient homes, they’re hoping to provide more access to nature and good-quality green space, “public transport you can rely on”, and “better health and wellbeing for those who live, work, study and visit here.”
With a steadily recovering local and national economy (touch wood), they’re also hoping for an influx of new jobs, too.
Summarising the key bullet points leading up to the end of the decade, these are the next steps currently outlined by the Council:
Lower carbon emissions
Grow the use of renewable energy
Improve low-carbon travel in the city
Improve air quality
Grow the city’s natural environment and boost biodiversity
Improve resilience to flooding and extreme heat
Engage and involve our workforce and our city’s communities
Reduce waste and grow reuse, repair, sharing and recycling
Support a move to a more circular economy
Minimise the negative impact of events held in the city
Develop our knowledge of our indirect emissions and lower them
Create a green financing strategy and explore new funding models for the city
Influence the environmental practices of other organisations
As for emissions, the target is now to drop the present output by another 34%, which will prevent almost 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from being pumped into the atmosphere.
Having touched upon the continued expansion of the Bee Network infrastructure, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is also set to install multiple new travel links over the coming years, including both new tram stops and train stations – further
You can read the climate action plan in full HERE.
Manchester’s firework displays are ‘back with a bang’ as they return from 2026
Emily Sergeant
Council-organised firework displays in Manchester’s parks are set to return from next year, it has been confirmed.
You may remember that these once-popular events have not been held since 2019, as the COVID-19 pandemic initially prevented them from taking place from 2020 onwards, and then following that, they remained paused on a trial basis while the Manchester City Council sought to ‘reprioritise funding’ to support a wider range of free community events across the city.
But now, as it seems, the door was never shut on their potential return.
An ‘improved financial position’ now means that the Council is in a position to bring firework events back, while also still continuing to support other community events.
Papers setting out the Council’s financial position show that fairer funding being introduced by the Government next year will leave the Council better off than previously anticipated, he the reason firework displays have been brought back into the mix.
The Council has admitted that ‘pressures remain’ after so many years of financial cuts, but this new funding creates the opportunity to invest in the things residents have said matter the most to them.
“Manchester prides itself on free community events and we know many people have missed Bonfire night firework spectaculars,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“That’s why we are pleased to confirm they’ll be back by popular demand in 2026.
“We know that generations of Mancunians have enjoyed Council-organised displays and that free family events are a great way to bring people together… [and] now that this Government is actually investing in Councils like ours rather than the cuts we had since 2010, we can bring back Bonfire events.”
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2025 
