ATHLETES taking part in a prestigious race have been warned they face running through a fly tipping and anti-social behaviour hotspot.
Competitors in the Tour of Tameside will pass through the Park Bridge area of Ashton-under-Lyne in stage one on Thursday, June 12.
But litter, including drug paraphernalia, being dumped has forced residents to speak out and demand action from Tameside Council.
They also believe the event should change its name to the ‘Tour of Shameside.’
A spokesperson for the Park Bridge Residents’ Action Group and Fund said: “We welcome participants of this year’s Tour of Tameside but urge them to approach with caution as several roads on the course are not fit for a tractor, let alone hundreds of runners.
“The roads have been unadopted by the council and have fallen into disrepair. Litter piles up and every other day there’s a new fly-tipping incident.
“Regular complaints answered with excuses about a lack of council funding and resources. Residents are fed up.
“This used to be a celebrated historical area in Tameside, with a number of countryside service wardens based here.
“Those days are long gone and now it is no more than a cut through road where people come to take recreational drugs on the weekend, which is evident from the bags of nitrous oxide canisters left at the side of the road that the runners will have to dodge.
“While the Tour is the last surviving official event that takes place in the area, serious consideration should be made to changing the name to the Tour of SHAMEside.
“We sympathise with the organisers of the event, and wish the runners the best of luck, equally we encourage all those taking part and attending to enjoy Park Bridge respectfully and put all rubbish in a bin or take it home.”
The Tour, which returned to the area 10 years ago, attracts hundreds of runners to the unique environment around Park Bridge.
However, residents feel a decade of decline and neglect by has seen the area go from local beauty spot to unofficial local tip.
They say they have contacted several councillors and MP Angela Rayner in recent weeks and months.
And while some effort has been made to clean up incidents of fly-tipping, no permanent solution has been put in place to deter perpetrators and anti-social behaviour that blights the area.
According to council records, 14 people have been prosecuted and 269 have been served fixed penalty notices for waste related offences.
However, it is unknown how many of these specifically relate to incidents in Park Bridge.
Tameside Council Executive Member for Environmental Services and Neighbourhood Cllr Laura Boyle said: “We had a successful prosecution in December 2024 which related to fly tipping on Alt Hill Lane in Park Bridge and have issued six fixed penalty notices for flytipping in Park Bridge in the last 12 months.
“Flytipping is a criminal offence and a blight on our local communities and local beauty spots such as Park Bridge, which I know is a valued community amenity. We will always take action against those responsible and are the highest performing council in the north west for taking enforcement action against flytippers.
“We are also proactive in working with our community to hold days of action to clear and investigate flytipping and talk to local residents about their concerns and needs.
“Residents can do their bit by always ensuring they dispose of their waste responsibly and if you pay or ask someone to remove waste for you always ensure they have a valid waste carrier licence, ask them where they are taking the waste to and get a receipt.”
People can check the waste carriers register at https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers
For information on reporting flytipping and what kind of information is helpful to support the investigation, see www.tameside.gov.uk/flytipping