Anger as more fly-tipping blights Burnley beauty spot

Mr Stephen Jackson lives directly opposite a lay-by in Bacup Road, Cliviger, which overlooks a wooded area that has recently been the scene of "industrial scale fly-tipping" as reported on in the Burnley Express.

When alerted to the problem by the Express, shocked Burnley Council officials described it as "beyond belief".

Mr Jackson said: "Fom my home I can see directly the problem this is causing. The rubbish is now appearing from under the trees and you can see it.

"I know there is no excuse for what is happening, but this only started when those trees were planted in front of the lay-by which was a number of years ago.

"That lay-by was the best place to view Burnley and the surrounding villages. Now you can’t see anything anymore. How anyone could get permission to plant them there I don’t know and I cannot see how they will be able to stop it (the fly-tipping) without ether CCTV or chopping down the trees. I think chopping down the trees would be the cheaper option."

Burnley Council said it would be working with Lancashire County Council and other partners to find a safe and effective way of removing the waste.

A Burnley Council spokesman said: "It's beyond belief that someone could destroy our beautiful countryside without a thought or a care for the devastating impact this kind of mindless behaviour has.

"This is flytipping on an industrial scale and must have taken several trips to complete. There is no excuse for this selfish, criminal act. If anyone has any information on who is responsible for this outrageous act we want to hear from you so we can catch and prosecute them.

"We are working with Lancashire County Council and other partners to find a safe and effective way of removing this waste. It's going to be a difficult job given the steepness of the terrain and the quantity of rubbish but we'll get it done. We're also looking at ways of preventing this kind of thing from happening at this site again.

"This incident reinforces our Let's SCRAP flytipping campaign which urges everyone to ensure they only use accredited and professional waste carriers to take away their rubbish. Most waste carriers are responsible but there are some 'cowboys' out there that don't care where they dump rubbish as long as they're paid."