The sheer scale of problems at Wigan's historic Pagefield Mill revealed as firefighters are called there every four days

But it has stood empty for several years now and looms over Mesnes Park in a state of disrepair, as it is targeted by arsonists, vandals and youths looking for a thrill by climbing onto the roof or up a tower.

The problems caused by the historic building and trespassers entering the site have been known for some time, but the Observer can now lay bare the impact it is having.

- Firefighters were called there 91 times in just 12 months – the equivalent of once every four days

- Seven youths were dealt with by the police after being caught trespassing on the site during a closure order

- Wigan Council has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to secure the site, despite it being privately owned

Organisations in the borough have been working together to try to address the situation as Pagefield Mill continues to be a blight on resources.

But there does not appear to be a simple solution, as the site is privately owned and the buildings are grade II-listed.

What is the fire service doing?

Firebugs setting parts of Pagefield Mill alight or burning rubbish has been a long-standing problem and crews from Wigan fire station are called there regularly.

Data supplied to the Observer under the Freedom of Information Act shows firefighters attended Pagefield 91 times between November 2021 and October 2022 – a massive 193.55 per cent increase on the 31 call-outs the year before.

That equates to nearly once every six days over the two years or every four days in 2021-22.

The busiest period was late spring and early summer, with 19 call-outs in May 2022 and 18 in both April and June.

The total cost to the fire service over the two years is estimated to be £37,748 – and attending Pagefield Mill means crews cannot be at other, more serious, incidents at the same time.

The condition of the site also means it is dangerous for people to enter – both youths and emergency service workers – and there have long been concerns that someone will be seriously hurt or even killed there.

Paul Fearnhead, head of service delivery for the north for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It’s an unsafe site and people should not enter. I want people to think about the firefighters who have to enter the building and the risks they face. But also, when they are at an incident, the knock-on effect is for people elsewhere in Wigan – we can’t be in two places at once.”

Efforts to tackle the problem have seen the fire service called to Pagefield fewer times in recent months, with just one call-out in November which proved to be a false alarm.

What are the police doing?

Police officers are also called to Pagefield Mill regularly, with 28 reports made in the last six months.

These have mostly been for incidents of anti-social behaviour, though there have also been concerns for safety when people have been spotted on the roof.

Officers also visit the site proactively as part of Operation Bluefin, a multi-agency initiative aimed at tackling nuisance behaviour in hotspots across the borough.

Police dealt with two groups of youths – seven people in total – who were caught on the site in the summer, despite a closure order being in place.

They all worked with the youth offending team, as it was seen as more beneficial to educate them than take them to court.

Neighbourhood police sergeant Nick Forshaw said: “It’s a very dangerous site. Children will be drawn to it because it’s an adventure, but it’s certainly not. I have been on the site and there is nothing there I can see as fun – there is far more danger to individuals than there is fun to be had.

"At the end of the day, they are going to get themselves a criminal record. They are going on a site and if there is a closure order, that’s a criminal offence. Fires are also being started, which is an offence of arson. Individuals who get caught will be brought to justice.”

What is the council doing?

Calls have long been made for Wigan Council to do something about the site, despite it being privately owned.

Hundreds of thousands of pounds has been spent trying to secure the site in recent years, which included demolishing dangerous buildings, erecting a fence and making repairs when the fence was vandalised.

So far that bill has been covered by taxpayers, though it is hoped the council will be able to recoup it from the land owner in future.

Among the measures taken by the council have been three closure orders, which made it a criminal offence to go onto the site.

Council chiefs have been speaking to the site’s owners – both the leaseholder and freeholder – and encouraging them to draw up plans for Pagefield, as well as secure it properly.

Coun Kevin Anderson, the council’s cabinet member for police, crime and civil contingencies, said: “Public resources are finite and we have spent a large amount of resources and time to secure this, in terms of police and fire and our legal costs.

"We are continuing to put pressure on the owners of the site to take responsibility and work with them to regenerate it.

"Unfortunately it’s more complicated than we would like, but we would urge people’s co-operation to make the site as safe as possible.”

The community safety partnership is working proactively to keep people away from Pagefield, including speaking to those living nearby and sharing messages on social media.