A FED-up councillor has this week hit out at litter louts for damaging the environment and ruining the beauty of Dumfries and Galloway.
Andrew Wood, who represents the Mid and Upper Nithsdale ward, has witnessed an increase in flytipping in the countryside, as well as motorists casually throwing rubbish out of their cars.
He recently took a picture of rubbish at a lay-by on the B729 heading north on the Dunscore road, just after Greenhead Farm.
Councillor Wood said: “Flytipping seems to be on the increase, with this photo highlighting the ignorance of those that do such damaging actions to our environment.
“Not only was this dumped in the country, but also in a watercourse and you do have to wonder what sort of mindset does such damage to our countryside and wildlife.
“I have informed the council’s waste management team and very much hope that this will be cleaned up quickly before it blocks the culvert or pollutes the burn.
“I have also asked them to check out the materials to see if we can identify the offender.”
This waste was spotted around a week ago, but this particular lay-by on the B729 has been used in the past by flytippers.
Councillor Wood said: “Our council strategy of removing bins at lay-bys on the bypass is not working, as you will have witnessed. Too many people seem to think it is fine to throw their rubbish out of the window with little regard for the environment and the region’s reputation.
“It is also quite interesting to note that it is generally the near side of any road coming out of town that gets hit the worst.”
Dumfries and Galloway Council recently made a firm commitment to tackling ongoing litter problems in lay-bys and main roads in the region.
The development of a formal litter prevention strategy was rubber-stamped by the council a fortnight ago.
Councillors approved a six-month consultation process where the community can have their say on the best approaches to keep Dumfries and Galloway clean and tidy.
The council spends a minimum of £1.4m each year in street cleansing and lifting litter across the region, however main traffic routes and laybys are still a magnet for inconsiderate people discarding rubbish.
Mid and Upper Nithsdale Councillor Jim Dempster described the amount of litter on roadsides on the A76 major trunk road as “dreadful”.
