A man has been arrested in connection with an illegal waste dump that forced schools to close in the borough after catching fire last year.
An estimated 18,000 tonnes of rubbish remains at the site on Bolton House Road in Bickershaw, prompting outrage from residents and local politicians.
On Wednesday night, the Environment Agency announced that a 58-year-old man from Birmingham had been arrested in connection with its investigation of the site on suspicion of environmental, fraud and money laundering offences.
He has since been released on conditional bail pending further investigation.
A fire at the Bickershaw site burned for more than a week in June last year, forcing local schools to close.
Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described the site – which sits within the Makerfield constituency where he is now contesting a parliamentary by-election – as an “ocean of rubbish”.
Following the announcement of an arrest on Wednesday, Mr Burnham said: “For too long, areas like Makerfield have felt ignored while criminals trash our communities.
“We have fought back hard against this and got their voices heard.
“It is high time that those responsible are brought to book and a message sent that this type of crime will not be tolerated here.
“People in this place have as much right to clean, safe neighbourhoods as anywhere else.
“It is now essential that the clean-up of the Bickershaw community begins immediately.”
The Environment Agency’s area director Ian Crewe said illegal dumping was “an attack on our communities, and the Environment Agency shares their disgust at these horrendous crimes”.
He added: “Our teams have been working relentlessly on this investigation, and yesterday’s arrest is a vital step in collecting new evidence and progressing it further.”
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “We are cracking down on waste criminals – putting an end to the damage they cause, by boosting funds to tackle waste crime, putting more boots on the ground and giving stronger powers to our enforcement teams.
“If you dump waste illegally, we will come after you.”
The Government has agreed to foot the bill for cleaning up the Bickershaw site, said to amount to around £4.5 million.
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