Crap Towns / Wigan / Pollution incidents
How often does Wigan get polluted?
11 serious pollution incidents have been recorded in Wigan or within 1 km of it since 2016, the joint 92nd most of the 948 English towns that have had one. 2 were major, the worst kind. The most recent came in May 2026 and put slurry in the water. Slurry turned up in 2 of them.
| When | What | Where | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | Slurry | In the water | Major |
| October 2021 | Slurry | In the water | Significant |
| September 2021 | Commercial waste, electrical equipment, household waste and metal wastes | On the land | Significant |
| January 2020 | Lubricating oils | In the water | Significant |
| December 2019 | An unidentified pollutant | On the land | Significant |
| February 2019 | An unidentified pollutant | In the water | Significant |
| December 2018 | Smoke | In the air | Significant |
| October 2018 | Sludge | On the land | Significant |
| August 2018 | Vegetable cuttings and deposits | In the water | Significant |
| August 2018 | Smoke | In the air | Significant |
| December 2017 | Solid manure | In the water | Major |
| Town | Distance | Serious incidents since 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Wigan | – | 11 |
| Hindley | 5.3 km | 3 |
| Appley Bridge | 5.8 km | 2 |
| Ashton-in-Makerfield | 6.0 km | 2 |
| Ince-in-Makerfield | 2.9 km | 2 |
| Orrell | 4.5 km | 1 |
| Shevington | 3.9 km | 1 |