Fury over Saddleworth school children 'littering' beauty spot

Geoff and Carole Kenworthy, who live near the school, say there is a “high volume of rubbish simply tossed into a pond on a daily basis by the children” in the area between a bus terminus and the steps leading up to the school.

They say wildlife, such as ducks and geese ,are being driven away because the littering is so bad.

In a letter to school head Matthew Milburn, and copied to Saddleworth Parish Council and Oldham Council, Mrs and Mrs Kenworthy, aged 74 and 72, respectively, also claim staff from the school are smoking on the steps and leaving cigarette butts on the ground.

Their letter reads: “Over the Christmas holidays we have spent day after day going over to the pond to clear rubbish – four large bin liners in total.

“There is absolutely no question that the rubbish belongs to pupils from your school – hundreds of plastic bottles, crisp packets, sweet wrappers, calculators, glue sticks, whiteboard pens, handwriting pens, Igo (bus pass) cards and cans.

“We have spent hours clearing the area, not just because it is so unsightly, but because we are so concerned for the welfare of the animals and their habitat.

“May I point out that while the children have not been at school there has been no more rubbish in the area, which would most definitely lead you to believe that it is happening when the children are on their way to and from school.”

Mrs Kenworthy told The Oldham Times she had deposited the four bin bags of rubbish on the school steps so it could be inspected by staff.

Her letter goes on: “I hope that you look through the bags, which I have brought for your inspection and see for yourself the volume of rubbish you pupils are leaving behind.

“I find it hard to believe that in an age when we are working so very hard to reduce waste and our plastic usage that pupils are not better aware of their impact on the environment.

“Maybe a visual reminder of emptying the rubbish in front of the children in an assembly would motivate them more to make correct choices.

“It may also be worth mentioning to them that there is a £200 fine for dropping litter.”

The letter goes on to say staff are “seen several times a day smoking cigarettes and putting them out on the ground, leaving them behind at the top of the steps right across an entrance to the school”.

The Kenworthys suggest that the school should appoint a team of pupils to pick up litter in the area regularly.

In response, Mr Milburn told The Oldham Times: “I am sorry to read they have experienced lots of litter during the Christmas period. It shouldn’t be the case that there is littering going on.

“The space between the school and the bus turnaround is part of a public footpath. We’ve now got people in school investigating with the council how we can deal with the situation.

"One of our staff who has his own allotment has agreed to take responsibility for the clearing of any litter in the area.

“I’ve also written to Mr and Mrs Kenworthy and invited them to the school so we can talk about a sustained approach to the problem.

“We take seriously the need to tray to rid the whole world of the scourge of litter. We regularly hold assemblies about the subject and about the importance of not dropping litter.

“We want to work with people in the community to solve what is clearly a society problem.

“If we see children dropping litter in school they get an immediate litter detention, and other pupils nearby are asked to help by picking it up.”

On the cigarette butts issue, he said: “No-one is allowed to smoke in the grounds the school. Unfortunately, there are people who are addicted to nicotine and that is the case here. I have spoken to colleagues in school and made it clear that it is imperative they clear up after themselves and don’t leave any cigarette butts on the ground.

“It is a problem which many employers with workers who smoke have, and we are one of the biggest employers in the Saddleworth area.”