Calls to put an end to Mendip fly-tip menace

Police could be brought in to help track down fly-tippers blighting beauty spots on the Mendip Hills.Rangers are asking the police to sift through piles of waste abandoned in the area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) for clues to try to track down offenders.One of them, Les Davies, says a similar initiative between the police and Mendip District Council in the last two months has been a success.Mr Davies will ask North Somerset Council and Sedgemoor District Council to work with the police to see a similar effort made in their AONB parishes.He said the problem is particularly bad in Burrington Combe and Bleadon, though he wants police to investigate illegal rubbish dumping across the area.Compton Bishop Parish Council recently decided to stop organising squads of litter picking volunteers because the problem had spiralled out of control.Mr Davies, who is based at the Charterhouse Centre, said: "I wouldn't say we've got a massive problem with fly-tipping and rubbish being dumped out of cars, but we get our fair share."People simply think it is okay to dump rubbish, but it's not. The Mendip Hills AONB Service wants to see dumped rubbish shifted quickly and we are keen to see evidence picked up and used by the police."We have been successful in the Mendip District Council area because it's no longer just the council going out and clearing up. The police are involved and look to take it on as a criminal offence."Quite often there is something in the rubbish which has been dumped that gives clues about where it has come from."We want people to keep an eye on things to see when waste is being dumped. If they know the police may take action they will be more likely to take it seriously and report it."* Sedgemoor District Council now has litter-picking kits available to help volunteers clean up their neighbourhoods.