Residents of Clippers Quay have shared their frustrations over boats, fridges and dead birds being washed up amongst piles of ‘never-ending’ rubbish on the banks of the Quay.
The rubbish is situated outside the new Clippers Quays residential apartments and Orchid Bar, and falls under the responsibility of Grainger PLC.
Chair of the SQCF, and Liberal Democrats candidate for the May local council elections, Jonathan Moore, said: “I can’t actually remember the last time I saw it without rubbish there. It’s unsightly, it’s not what you expect from a tourism destination, it’s not what you expect from a high-quality area. It’s not what residents expect, given that council tax on The Quays is one of the highest in Salford. It shouldn’t really be there.
“The community are fed up. It’s one of the most common things that we put to us. No one can understand why they spend so much, and see fridges in the water.
I’ve been talking to the council today about whose responsibility it is to clean up this mess at Clippers Quay (including an abandoned boat!). It turns out it is Peel Ports, and they have been contacted. We’ll keep an eye on progress and follow up. #CleanUpTheQuays #salford pic.twitter.com/vusIL57QBD
— Jonathan Moore (@JMooreSalford) January 11, 2023
The Quays comes under the responsibility of Salford City Council, Grainger PLC, and Urban Waterside. Mr Moore explained how the shared responsibility can often become complicated and frustrating when dealing with the rubbish. He continued: “It’s not straight forward, given its one area. They aren’t as good as the council at moving rubbish.
“The council are actually quite good at sending out a little boat they hire and collecting the rubbish. They did that the start of this week, but its already full of rubbish again. The council does well with limited resources, but the other parties don’t want to clean up because there’s a cost behind it.”
Mr Moore also explained how several birds, including Swans and Geese, have been found washed up amongst the rubbish at Clippers Quay. Although not a direct impact fo the rubbish, he believes the dead animals have become a wildlife concern. He said: “There’s been quite a few birds in and around the rubbish. I’m not saying they’ve died because of the rubbish, they’ve died for other reasons, the suspicion being bird flu, and just been washed up.
“Because of the levels of rubbish, the birds don’t get spotted for some time. So there’s a bit of a wildlife worry. The council has been trying to remove them, but there’s still four more birds at Clippers Quay.”
Mr Moore feels that Grainger PLC need to collaborate with the community and listen to their concerns for the area, especially with the ongoing development of areas such as The Lowry Outlet and MediaCity. He continued: “Grainger PLC need to engage with the community and understand it’s for everyone’s benefit to spend the money on cleaning the rubbish up. They’re spending money on the area so it’s the bit round the edges that matter because it’s that that brings the quality for the area.
“Yes there’s a cost to removing the rubbish, but in the grand scheme of things, the cost isn’t that great. It needs to become part of their programme of work. It needs to be regular, not twice a year, but a couple of times a month.”
A spokesperson for Clippers Quay said: “We are equally disappointed by the current situation with the debris. As long-term members of the community and custodians of the area, we take this matter incredibly seriously.
“A boom, which is in place as a mitigating tool, has recently broken and we are currently looking into a fix with the owners. This, alongside the extensive recent rainfall, which raises the water to levels where the boom no longer works, and an increase in fly tipping over the festive period; has exacerbated the situation.
“We monitor this area closely and undertake regular professional cleans, most recently in late November, with another already booked in. We will look to bring this forward. In between these cleans, our team members, our residents and the local community join forces on a regular basis to undertake beach clean ups.
“We will further review this situation and continue to do all we can to make improvements.”
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