A SCENIC country lane in Oxenhope has been targeted twice within a few days by fly-tippers.

The incidents prompted the chairman of the village’s parish council to speak out about other cases of waste being selfishly dumped around the village.

Commenting last Thursday (August 9) Councillor Ken Eastwood said he had come across dozens of bags of rubbish ditched by the side of Black Moor Road.

“This was two separate incidents but in close proximity and only days apart,” he added.

“A couple of weeks earlier, I cleared up a dozen sacks or so from a nearby location and took them to the Household Recycling Centre at Sugden End.

“We seem to have had an increased number of fly-tipping incidents in and around Oxenhope over the summer.

“Areas affected have included Trough Lane, Black Moor Road, Heights Lane, Hill House Edge Lane and Hebden Bridge Road. The sites affected are remote, rural locations.

“Bradford Council’s response to clearing the fly-tipped materials has been first class, and we are very grateful for the service received.

“We’re aware the dumped materials are checked for evidence to identify the source of the waste and when possible enforcement action is taken.

“We’d encourage any member of the public to report incidents of fly-tipping that they witness.”

Potential penalties for fly-tipping include a fixed penalty notice of £400, an unlimited fine and up to five years in prison. Vehicles used to commit fly-tipping offences can be seized and destroyed by the local authority.

In addition, householders can be fined up to £5,000 and end up with a criminal record if they ask someone else to remove their rubbish and it is found to have been fly-tipped.

Cllr Eastwood said: “We’d encourage residents paying contractors to remove and dispose of waste to ensure they are reputable, licensed waste carriers.

“There’s no excuse for fly-tipping at all. Householders can get rid of extra domestic waste for free at Household Waste Recycling Centres and people with trade waste should dispose of it legitimately.

“Fly-tipping spoils the amenity of the area and cleaning up after incidents is very costly to us all.”

At the latest meeting of Oxenhope Parish Council on August 8, Cllr David Ashcroft said waste had been dumped in a parking space and popular viewpoint on Hebden Bridge Road, on the way to the moors. He said this rubbish had been there that morning.

Cllr Peter McManus praised the fast response of Bradford Council workers, saying council workers had got rid of the waste by the end of the day.

He said that before it was tidied up the location had been left in “a real mess”, with a variety of fly-tipped materials strewn around, including old car parts.