Hero volunteers warn action needed to stop Burnley beauty spot becoming target of fly-tippers again

The trio, who call themselves the Northern Monkeys, became an overnight hit on social media when they came across the site off Bacup Road, that has featured in the national media as one of the worst hit areas for flytipping on an 'industrial scale.'

The three, who are Damion Whitton, Bruce-Lee Knowles and Chris 'Kipper' Taylor, spent seven days at the site and their valiant efforts saw them fill over 400 bags of rubbish and litter and clear the site of many dumped items including old settees, fridges and mattresses.

But even as they were clearing the site, flytippers continued to dump items, including a fridge, defiant in the face of cameras installed by Lancashire Police that records number plates of all vehicles stopping at the lay-by.

Damion said: "The wood looks beautiful again and how it should be and not covered in rubbish.

"But something definitely needs to be done to stop this happening again."

As news of the magnificent efforts of this modern day 'A team' spread on social media, they were inundated with messages of support, praise and offers of help to tackle the mountain of rubbish on the large wooded area. It was no easy task as the wooded area is down a large slope that is not easy to access.

But the trio, who grew up together and are all from Burnley, were determined to clear the site. Local residents arrived with food and drink for the lads and they were also joined by a couple of volunteers, including one man who made the journey from Lancaster, after reading about their efforts on their facebook page.

Confusion over who owns the land means the rubbish has built up over the years and Burnley Council has been working in partnership with Lancashire County Council to find a safe way of clearing the site which rests on a steep slope. Since the friends started the clean up Burnley Council has taken away all the rubbish collected by them at no charge.

Northern Monkeys was launched in April as the pandemic set in and the lads found themselves without work as plasterers. Calling themselves explorers the friends have visited several historic sites and places of interest across the UK.

The group has its own facebook page which now has over 2,700 members keen to see the latest pictures and videos of the 'monkey's' latest adventures. And as news spread of their magnificent efforts in Cliviger they have been inundated with messages of support from grateful residents and also people across the UK for their enterprising spirit.

Damion said: "The response to what we did in Cliviger has been overwhelming but it goes to show that people do care about their countryside and environment.

"We can get out exploring again but we will be back if needed because that is what we do."