Oldham river blocked, with action promised

The site of the river blockage.

Thornley Brook – which, despite its name, is a main river flowing through Grotton, Springhead and Lees - has been blocked in recent days by huge amounts of soil near Rhodes Hill, Lees.

Local Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead and Lees, Mark Kenyon, said: “Thanks to the eagle eyes of a community already concerned about the Knowls Lane development further up the valley, this was reported to me on Boxing Day.

"I called the Environment Agency straight away and met them on site. 

“The Environment Agency can see that someone has caused a real problem; there’s the blocked river and then there’s tonnes and tonnes of loose and unstable material ready to slip down into it to make the problem worse”.

He concluded: “The new owner has now said they’ll take this chance to make things right. I hope they do because the possibility of legal enforcement is just around the corner”.

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