Christ-mess: Shocking pile of festive rubbish dumped at beauty spot

On Monday, December 30 a pile of rubbish was discovered in the Cleadon Hills area, which looks to have been discarded following the festive period.

The heap included a number of cardboard boxes and a significant amount of Christmas wrapping paper, some of which still had the gift tags on.

The rubbish was found in Sunniside Lane, adjacent to the Cleadon Water Tower, just a short distance from the Cleadon Hills Local Nature Reserve, which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

One resident said they were “disgusted” to come across the waste while out walking nearby, and would have picked up the rubbish themselves if they had had access to a vehicle at the time.

Earlier this month, South Tyneside Council warned that fly tipping is taken “extremely seriously” in the borough after piles of waste were dumped at two sites in Hebburn.

Bosses stated that there was “no excuse” for people not disposing of their rubbish properly, and authorities across the North East have been stepping up efforts to tackle environmental crime.

Fly tipping is a criminal offence and if convicted can lead to a fine of up to £50,000 or six months imprisonment, or both.

To report an incident of fly tipping at: www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/33361/Fly-tipping or call the customer contact centre on 0191 427 7000.