Crap Towns / Skelmersdale / Pollution incidents
How often does Skelmersdale get polluted?
3 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Skelmersdale or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 360th most of the 948 English towns that have had one. The most recent came in February 2026 and put waste oil in the water.
| When | What | Where | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | Waste oil | In the water | Significant |
| July 2025 | Grey water | In the water | Significant |
| February 2021 | An unidentified pollutant | In the water | Significant |
| Town | Distance | Serious incidents since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Wigan | 8.8 km | 11 |
| Kirkby | 10.1 km | 9 |
| Skelmersdale | – | 3 |
| Appley Bridge | 5.6 km | 2 |
| Burscough | 7.1 km | 2 |
| Lydiate | 10.8 km | 2 |
| Orrell | 5.0 km | 1 |
| Shevington | 6.4 km | 1 |