A FARM manager has spoken of his frustration over a year-long battle against a campaign of fly-tipping, writes Matthew McLaughlin, Local Democracy Reporter.

Martin Smart is the farm manager at Ashton Farms, Melksham, and is fed up of seeing household rubbish repetitively dumped nearby.

Mr Smart said that everything from expensive watches, phone boxes and even personal banking letters and wage slips have been left in the countryside.

“This is the fourth lot which has come from that property,” he said.

“It comes from a premises at Bradford Leigh and it’s always the same address. Every time I register it with the rural crime team and the enforcement officers at Wiltshire Council.

“They come out and pick up the rubbish and get the details. There’s no question about who it belongs to.

"I’ve got so much detail about the people I probably know more about them and their finances than they do.”

Mr Smart is frustrated, given this seeming wealth of information, that no action appears to have been taken.

“Why haven’t they got a bin?” he continued. “Do they not exist these people? Where are they living?

“I don’t understand why it’s so hard and why the enforcement team don’t jump on them.

“It’s the same place every time. It’s the same eight to 10 black bin liners with names and addresses.”

Cabinet member for waste, Dr Mark McClelland, said that the council is aware of the issues that have been raised by Mr Smart, and that investigations are on-going.

“Fly tipping is not only a blight on our county, but also expensive to clean up by the landowner if on private land or the council on areas it is responsible for," continued the cabinet member.

“The cost for clearing waste on council land is picked up by local taxpayers and we will do all it can to take enforcement action against those that illegally deposit waste.

“We are grateful for the help of residents and businesses to track down those responsible, and encourage that any instances of fly-tipping are reported straight to us so that we can deal with it appropriately.”