Just the pits! Anti-social behaviour at waterworks putting lives in jeopardy

INTRUDERS are risking their lives every time they trespass at the sprawling Royton wastewater treatment plant.

That is the warning from Greater Manchester Police after reports of anti-social behaviour at the United Utilities facility on Middleton Road/Streetbridge.

The culprits are also causing criminal damage at the plant which is currently undergoing multi million pounds improvement works.

Now, GMP Royton and Shaw have re-iterated the dangers of accessing the area unlawfully.

In a statement they said: “We have received information youths have caused criminal damage to enter the site and while on site have been causing anti-social behaviour (ASB) around the pits.

“Your local policing team has serious concerns about this activity as there are two pits with a 10 metres drop onto concrete.

“This poses a very serious threat to life and we would urge parents to discuss the dangers of entering the site with their children before an accident occurs.

“The site is covered with CCTV and anyone identified will be spoken to.”

A spokesperson for United Utilities confirmed the recent incidents of ASB.

“We notified GMP a group of young people had broken into the Royton works.

“We’re working with the police to prevent further break-ins and are also in the process of taking additional precautions to secure the site.”

Meanwhile, work continues on an £80 million project at Oldham and Royton wastewater treatment works to help improve river water quality in the River Irk.

Work started in 2016 and was scheduled for completion in 2019. However, United Utilities told the Correspondent this won’t now be finished until early next year.

“Part of the work at Royton includes building storm water storage tanks to increase the capacity of the sewer network in that part of the town,” said the spokesperson.

“At Oldham, the wastewater treatment plant is being fully rebuilt. It will use the latest treatment processes to remove more ammonia, which is harmful to fish.

“The project involves constructing a 4.5km underground pipeline to transfer most of the sewer flows from Royton to our upgraded works at Oldham.”

The Oldham and Royton works have been treating what gets flushed by and washed away from 150,000 customers since the early 1900s.

When all the work is complete, the new treatment processes will meet the new, higher European standards for wastewater treatment.

It will also breathe new life into the River Irk as the water put back into it will be even cleaner and help to improve the natural environment of the river.

A further upgrade at Chadderton, the new pipeline and the storage facilities at Royton will allow customers to flush the loo and empty their baths for generations to come.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *