A SHAW woman was furious to find a lay-by near the National Trust site of Great Chalfield Manor had been used as a fly-tipping spot.

Sue Moffet, of Shaw Hill, made the shocking discovery whilst on her way to work in Bradford on Avon on February 15. The fly-tippers dumped the rubbish, which appears to be from a building site, at the entrance to a field which is owned by a local farmer.

Mrs Moffet, who works at the Bradford on Avon Dorothy House shop, said: “This isn’t the first time the area has seen fly-tipping. Over Christmas there was a fridge freezer left in a lay-by near the current spot. It is absolutely disgusting that people would do this. There is a recycling centre in Bowerhill. It makes you wonder if the people who do this can read.

“The rubbish was dumped in the entrance to the field so the farmer is furious about it. It just makes me so angry that people would do this.”

In the nearby village of Westwood, residents were plagued by fly-tippers over Christmas with a three-piece suite and mattress being dumped in Westwood Road between the village and Trowbridge.

In reports from Wiltshire Council at the end of 2016, it emerged that the county had seen a rise in fly tipping of 22 per cent over the whole year.

Between July and September 2016 Wiltshire Council had dealt with 660 separate incidents of fly-tipping, and on a national scale the number of reported incidents had increased by more than 27 per cent over a period of two years.

Councils across the country have now been given the powers to issue on-the-spot fines, or fixed penalty notices, of up to £400 for smaller-scale offences. In January Wiltshire Council received 261 reports of fly-tipping and is currently investigating each of the incidents.

Philip Whitehead, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for highways, said: “Fly-tipping is an issue across the UK but Wiltshire Council is determined to eradicate it. A couple of weeks ago a fly-tipper in Wiltshire was jailed for carrying out this crime and we will make every effort to investigate and catch the individuals who do this and take action. The public has been brilliant in letting us know of fly-tipping while they’re out and about and I’d encourage people to download the My Wiltshire app or visit our website to report to us anything they see. We will investigate every incident reported.”