What's on? Looks like Countryfile to me...

Reporter: Gillian Potts
Date published: 17 August 2017


YOU'VE heard of drive-in movies, but ride-up TV?

Claire Hilton and her family were staggered to come across this dumped TV set while walking and biking along the Donkey line from Dobcross to Uppermill on Sunday.

Claire even took a picture of her daughters, Macy (4) and Harley (7), pretending to watch the huge screen while sat on their bikes.

But Claire said while they found it amusing, it also highlighted the growing problem of fly-tipping across Saddleworth.

"We were just walking along and my dad spotted it first and said, 'come and look at this!'", said Claire, who lives in Austerlands but was visiting her parents in Dobcross.

"We couldn't believe it, it looked so comical just sat there.

"It must have taken a lot of effort to get it there. I'm sure it would have been easier to take it to the tip. They would have had to park up on the main road on a blind bend and it must have taken a couple of people to carry it.

"It's a shame people think its ok to do this and sadly it's a growing problem in the Saddleworth area. You see rubbish, mattresses and all sorts dumped."

Claire posted the pictures on the Uppermill Community Facebook page and they attracted both amusement and condemnation. One commenter jokingly suggested it was a Tracey Emin art installation.

Luckily the community spirit of Saddleworth shone through and Dez Richardson, from Mossley, who runs Canine Motorcyle and Trike Recovery and Rescue, saw Claire's Facebook post and decided to act.

He drove down to the site on the Dobcross/Uppermill border, loaded the TV on to his trailer and took it to the tip.

"Thank goodness there was a positive end to this story," said Claire.

"Dez is very community spirited and often helps out where he can. Good on him."