A BAND of travellers have set up a huge camp on a controversial village site.
People who live in Gin Pit -- once a mining community between Tyldesley and Astley -- were unhappy when 70 caravans moved this week onto the former William Hare engineering works site alongside Meanley Road.
The move is the latest in a series of attacks on the privately-owned derelict site which has been hit by vandals and arsonists and which has been the subject of a controversial planning application for homes. Buildings on site were once the Astley and Tyldesley Collieries workshops which conservationists wanted to preserve as part of the area's industrial heritage.
Vandals attacked the building in June setting the fourth floor and roof alight and left the main building an empty shell.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article