A MAYOR is outraged at fly-tipping on an area of land used by walkers in his town.

Councillor Neil Morton, who is the mayor of Malvern, said such action puts everyone at risk during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cllr Morton said: “I feel strongly when it comes to this sort of thing.

“There’s no excuse as tips are open and Malvern Hills District Council offer a collection service for items like this.

“What people fail to realise is that it takes resources to go and collect fly-tipped items when we are all trying to be careful and leave the house as little as possible.

“Also, when the crew go out to collect, they don’t know who the mattress belonged to - it could contain Coronavirus and walkers in the area are also put at risk if they come into contact with it, particularly young children.”

Lee Harrison, posted images of the single mattress discarded on Malvern Link common on a community Facebook page.

He has reported the issue to the authorities.

He said: [On my] early morning dog walk on Malvern Link common and somebody’s fly-tipped this - words fail me.”

Member of the group, Kevin Ball-Summerhayes, said: “Seriously what is wrong with people - the tip is down the road.”

Cllr Morton added: “The cost of removal for these types of items comes out of all of our pockets so I urge people, if they see anything like this, report it.”

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Cllr John Raine, portfolio holder for environmental services at Malvern Hills District Council, said: “I can confirm that the council removed a mattress on June 10.

“Fly-tipping is a criminal offence and can result in a hefty fine or even court action.

“With household recycling centres now reopened and a bulky waste service available, there is no excuse.

“Not only is fly-tipping dangerous and costly to the tax-payer but it is also a blight on our beautiful district. Help us tackle fly-tipping by reporting to our website malvernhills.gov.uk/fly-tipping-and-littering with as much information as possible.”

The charity Keep Britain Tidy has said more that a million instances of fly-tipping were dealt with by councils a year, with an excess clear-up cost of £58million in total.

Do you have an issue with fly-tipping or other antisocial behaviour where you live?

Contact our community reporter Steven Collins.