Crap Towns / Rawtenstall / Pollution incidents
How often does Rawtenstall get polluted?
8 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Rawtenstall or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 139th most of the 948 English towns that have had one. The most recent came in July 2025 and put suspended solids in the water. Unidentified oil turned up in 2 of them.
| When | What | Where | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2025 | Suspended solids | In the water | Significant |
| February 2023 | Unidentified oil | In the water | Significant |
| May 2021 | Inorganic chemical or product | In the water | Significant |
| March 2021 | Unidentified oil | In the water | Significant |
| February 2021 | Contaminated water | In the water | Significant |
| September 2019 | General biodegradable material or waste | On the land | Significant |
| October 2017 | Asbestos and contaminated building rubble | On the land | Significant |
| September 2017 | Batteries, tyres and vehicle parts | On the land | Significant |
| Town | Distance | Serious incidents since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton-le-Moors | 10.6 km | 53 |
| Accrington | 7.6 km | 19 |
| Burnley | 10.3 km | 19 |
| Bacup | 5.0 km | 13 |
| Church | 9.5 km | 11 |
| Rawtenstall | – | 8 |
| Oswaldtwistle | 9.3 km | 6 |
| Padiham | 10.9 km | 6 |
| Whitworth | 8.3 km | 4 |
| Haslingden | 3.7 km | 3 |
| Ramsbottom | 8.6 km | 2 |