FLY-tippers operating are not only spoiling the countryside but are also putting lives at risk – and West Somerset Council is becoming increasingly concerned as the problem is escalating.

Recent incidents saw waste being dumped in a country road between Timberscombe and Dunster (pictured) – inside Exmoor National Park’s boundary – and bags of rubbish thrown down embankments along the West Somerset Railway.

The Timberscombe incident forced the closure of the road while the waste was cleared up – apparently, it had been tipped from a lorry or large van. A similar incident was reported in Luxborough, also in the national park.

Cllr Martin Dewdney, West Somerset Council’s lead member for the environment, said: “These incidents not only despoil our nationally important landscape but could put lives at risk.

“Throwing waste down the railway embankment could potentially derail a train, leading to injury. It’s also dangerous for our staff to have to clear the rubbish from the steep slopes.

“There’s no excuse for fly tipping. It’s an environmental crime. All households in our district have recycling and refuse collections and we have recycling sites – in Minehead, Dulverton [£2 entry] and in Williton.

“Clearing up fly tipping is an expensive business – it is wrong that people are effectively robbing the public purse by dumping waste indiscriminately.”