'Fly-tipping on an industrial scale' discovered in Burnley countryside described as 'beyond belief'

Photographs of the dumped rubbish on the A671 Bacup Road, leading out of the town, were sent in to the Burnley Express by concerned member of the public John Thornton who spotted the items over a fence near to a lay-by on the road.

He said: "I was amazed at the site when I looked over the fence. It was a disgrace."

The Burnley Express notified Burnley Council who 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."

The council urged residents not to use 'cowboys' and practice the following guidelines:

• Suspect – all waste carriers; make sure they are legitimate

• Check – their registration details and verify them via the Environment Agency website

• Refuse – unexpected offers to have rubbish taken away, you don’t know where it could end up

• Ask – what will happen to your rubbish and how it will be disposed of

• Paperwork – get a printed record such as an invoice, waste transfer note or receipt from the waste carrier. If they won’t provide them be suspicious and refuse to use them.