Man bulldozes neighbour's riverbank with digger in dramatic twist to 'four-year campaign'

Mr Bancroft used a digger in the Greater Manchester river, destroying trees and wildlife in the process.

Neighbours had raised complaints about the work, which Mr Bancroft claimed was "essential" to protect his land from erosion.

Ms Marland said she was "devastated" after Mr Bancroft had dug away soil from part of the riverbank she owns.

She has lived alongside the river in Tonge Moor for more than 30 years, but said he had intensified his work over the last four years.

Ms Marland added: "He's created a ramp so he can bring his digger down to the river and he's cut a 90m channel through my land."

Videos recorded by Ms Marland appear to show Mr Bancroft using a small digger to take soil from her land and move it to the opposite riverbank which he owns.

She claimed he did not have permission to work on the river, adding she had been reduced to tears due to his digging,

Ms Marland told the BBC: "He's not asked for permission or given a reason why he's doing it.

"It seems he does what he wants and gets away with it.

"When you can't get anywhere with anybody because nobody does what they're supposed to do, you're in tears, you're shaking and angry."

Another resident, Pauline Riley, said she was "frustrated and annoyed" with the response from the Environment Agency.

She told the BBC: "After four years of us telling them what he's done, they've done nothing.

"They've not even been down to the river to look at what he's done.

"They have no idea the damage he has done."

Environmental campaigners also voiced concerns about Mr Bancroft's actions, warning of serious damage to wildlife on the riverbank.

Christopher Banks, a wildlife campaigner in Bolton, suggested the digging had affected areas used by kingfishers.

He told the BBC: "The problem is if you start digging out embankments, which kingfishers use as their main habitats, they will completely avoid this area.

"That's a large amount of habitat that's now been null and void for the kingfisher to use in future."

Mr Bancroft told the BBC his work had not affected anyone else's land, saying he only cut away dead or decaying trees.

He admitted that he had been carrying out the digging without the necessary Environment Agency permits and said he could not afford them, adding he had stopped work in July 2025 when ordered to do so by an enforcement officer.

An Environment Agency declined to respond to criticisms from residents, but added: "We take reports of unauthorised work in rivers seriously and will always investigate.

"Any confirmed unauthorised activity is assessed for potential harm to the watercourse and surrounding environment, and enforcement action will be taken where appropriate."