“Andy stood shoulder to shoulder with us. He saw the impact on our community and refused to walk away until action was finally agreed.”
– Nicha, Bolton House Road Resident
The Story
Residents of Bolton House Road have been living a nightmare. I stood shoulder to shoulder with local people, taking their fight against the illegal waste dump all the way until action was finally taken.
When I first learned about the illegal waste dump in Bickershaw, I was outraged. Residents were being forced to live with the smell, the rats, and the constant worry about what was happening on their doorstep. Then a major fire broke out and Bickershaw Primary School was forced to close. Action was long overdue, but agency after agency told residents it was someone else’s problem. I made it my problem.
I met local people and saw first-hand the impact this site was having on our community. What struck me most was how long people had been fighting to get somebody to listen.
That’s why I took this issue as far as it needed to go. I called out the criminal gangs behind this abomination and took it to the King himself. When government said the dump in Oxfordshire would be cleared while Bickershaw was untouched, I called that out too.
Government have finally agreed to clear this mess up. But I’m not done fighting this injustice. This is about whether ordinary people in communities like Bickershaw get listened to when something goes wrong.
I believe they should, because nobody should have to fight this hard just to be heard.