Crap Towns / Nelson / Pollution incidents
How often does Nelson get polluted?
9 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Nelson or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 118th most of the 948 English towns that have had one. 1 was major, the worst kind. The most recent came in February 2026 and put building rubble, household waste, soil and clay and tyres on the land. Building rubble turned up in 5 of them.
| When | What | Where | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | Building rubble, household waste, soil and clay and tyres | On the land | Significant |
| June 2021 | Contaminated building rubble | In the water and on the land | Significant |
| March 2021 | Commercial waste and building rubble | On the land | Significant |
| July 2019 | General biodegradable material or waste and smoke | In the air | Significant |
| February 2019 | Commercial waste, building rubble and household waste | On the land | Significant |
| May 2018 | Building rubble and general biodegradable material or waste | On the land | Significant |
| May 2018 | Building rubble | On the land | Significant |
| November 2017 | Slurry | In the water | Significant |
| August 2017 | Organic chemical or product, paint and solvents | On the land | Major |
| Town | Distance | Serious incidents since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton-le-Moors | 13.3 km | 53 |
| Great Harwood | 14.3 km | 43 |
| Accrington | 14.0 km | 19 |
| Burnley | 5.1 km | 19 |
| Colne | 3.4 km | 9 |
| Nelson | – | 9 |
| Padiham | 8.0 km | 6 |
| Barnoldswick | 9.3 km | 4 |
| Clitheroe | 12.8 km | 4 |
| Brierfield | 2.0 km | 2 |
| Barrowford | 2.1 km | 1 |