‘I phoned 999 six months ago under the motorway and nothing’s happened since’
It's been left there so long vegetables have started growing out of it
09:48, 27 Sep 2025
View 4 ImagesAlan Howgate feels like he is getting nowhere(Image: Copyright Unknown)
A mountain of waste dumped under the M53[1] has been there so long it is now being described as an allotment. The Environment Agency said an investigation is still ongoing.
At around 9am on March 6, Alan Howgate was walking under the M53 with his dog Bryn when he spotted a lorry dumping tonnes of waste near the railway tracks on the Merseyrail New Brighton line under the motorway. The area is close to the Bidston Moss nature reserve as well as the Junction One retail park.[2][3][4]
Mr Howgate immediately began taking photographs and phoned the police on 999 at the scene[5] as well as reporting it to Wirral[6] Council.
These pictures, previously seen by the ECHO[7], show at least five lorry loads of processed rubbish left there, as well as one photo of the lorry at the scene.
Despite being underneath a public highway, the land is understood to be privately owned. If land is privately owned, it is the responsibility of the landowners to remove rubbish, though local authorities can take enforcement action.
Clearing away any fly-tipping and disposing of it properly can cost a council a lot of money which it may not be able to get back.
View 4 ImagesAlan Howgate showing off some of the tomatoes that now cover several of the flytipping piles(Image: Copyright Unknown)
However six months later, the waste is still at the site.[8] After rain, some piles have been left for so long hundreds of tomatoes, melons, wheat, and a whole array of different vegetables have started growing out of it.
This lack of action has prompted frustration and complaints from both Mr Howgate as well as Steve Taylor who runs a local litter picking group[9]. Mr Howgate told the ECHO:[10] "It's like a game of musical rubbish and it's not going anywhere.
"The hours and hours I am spending trying to get something to be done about it and I am getting close to the point of giving up myself.
Other people have been down this road and given up and I can see why.
"You try to do good. You think you are doing good but you are not getting anywhere."
View 4 ImagesSteve Taylor and Alan Howgate want to see action over rubbish left dumped under the M53(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Mr Taylor said he wanted an update on the case, adding: "It makes me feel exasperated especially with all the effort we put in with what we do here.
"If it's just abandoned and left to be littered, it becomes the norm. People then do it all the time.
It's very disappointing to come across. We have put in major efforts to try to clear a lot of dumped rubbish ourselves.
"You see this, which is beyond our capacity, and the council, the Environment Agency, just walk away from it. It seems like both parties are saying it's not our job and this becomes a dumping ground."
View 4 ImagesAn investigation is still ongoing into the incident(Image: Copyright Unknown)Article continues below
An Environment Agency spokesperson said: "Our investigation into waste being dumped under the M53 motorway near Bidston on the Wirral is ongoing.
We are working with Greater Manchester and Merseyside Police to co-ordinate this investigation effectively.
"We remain grateful to those members of the public who reported this to us.
People can call our incident line on 0800 80 70 60 to report waste crime."
References
- ^ dumped under the M53 (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Merseyrail (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ New Brighton (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ close to the Bidston Moss nature reserve as well as the Junction One retail park. (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ phoned the police on 999 at the scene (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Wirral (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ the ECHO (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ still at the site. (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ who runs a local litter picking group (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ the ECHO: (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)