Mattresses, rugs, and bags full of rubbish are among the nine tonnes of household waste dumped in a Middlesbrough alley in just nine days. 

The blatant fly-tip was uncovered between Errol Road and Abingdon Road in the town centre, with shocking pictures showing the alleyway packed full of rubbish. 

The incident - which has been branded an "outrage" - has sparked renewed calls for the public to dispose of waste legally and responsibly. 

Six operatives from Middlesbrough Council’s Environment Services department were drafted in to help with the clean-up operation - something that council taxpayers have to foot the bill for. 

 

'Beyond a joke'

Fly-tipping continues to plague communities across Middlesbrough, with the council receiving almost 5,500 reports of waste and fly-tipping in the last year. 

The issue is particularly prevalent across the Newport, North Ormesby and town centre areas.

Residents were previously implored to help reclaim their streets and fight back against the "soul-destroying" fly-tipping by reporting those causing upset across communities. 

Since the start of the year 44 individuals have been hit with fines of up to £800 for environmental crime-related offences including fly-tipping and littering offences, with four prosecutions resulting in convictions at court.

Councillor Janet Thompson, the council's Executive member for Community Safety, said: “This is beyond a joke, and those responsible should be ashamed of themselves.

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“Fly-tipping is selfish, needless and inconsiderate and it’s an outrage that law-abiding residents should have to put up with this sort of behaviour.

“It’s also an insult to our hard-working operatives who tackle incidents like this day in, day out - we will go after these people and we will prosecute them.

“By working together we can hold them to account, and reclaim our streets for the vast majority who care for their neighbourhoods.”