THIS is the sad state of a Huddersfield beauty spot - thanks to fly-tippers.
A huge amount of rubbish was dumped at Birchencliffe, along part of the spectacular and picturesque Kirklees Way.
Although the rubbish was cleared, after hard work by refuse collectors and a local resident, there are fears it will be repeated because of charges imposed by Kirklees Council to collect waste.
The problems at Birchencliffe are thought to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Kirklees Council figures show that in the three months after the charges were imposed in April there were 640 calls complaining about fly-tipping.
Those figures show a small increase on last year, but are only for rubbish dumped on private property. They do not include tipping on public land or wasteland.
Birchencliffe residents praised Kirklees cleansing staff, who worked hard to shift the rubbish within hours.
Refuse collectors Dave Mackay and Lennie Sylvester were praised by resident Peter Hirst, who joined them in clearing the mound of rubbish, tipped on a long stretch of the picturesque footpath.
"They were in the area doing another job when I saw them and told them about the rubbish," he said.
"It was a terrible eyesore. It is a beautiful stretch of countryside, with a busy footpath and bridleway. The rubbish meant no-one could use it.
"It is not the first time - and I fear it will not be the last, " added Mr Hirst.
"Rubbish is being dumped all the time over the summer."
The problem has also hit council estates and housing chiefs in Huddersfield are demanding urgent action to curb fly-tippers.
Officials are facing a huge bill to clean up the mess left by the dumpers, who have struck countless times across the town.
Now, they are to press for extra cash from Kirklees Council to deal with the problem.
The move by Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing follows the council's introduction of charges for collecting bulky waste - which many people said would lead to more fly- tipping.
The board of Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing - the group which manages all the 28,000 council houses in Kirklees - was told their housing officials faced a bill of more than £22,000 to remove fridges and other bulky items from estates, now that charges had been introduced.
Also, caretakers have been told they could no longer help residents move items because of the massive demand on their time.
Service manager Robert Scott said: "The true cost of removing the extra tonnes of waste is likely to be an additional £12,000 per year.
"The housing officers have also expressed concern that there has been an increase in the amount of time spent on clearing items. They also say fly- tipping on the estates has increased.
Kirklees Council brought in the controversial charges in April.
It costs £12 to remove a bulky item, such as a washing machine, and £20 for up to six bags of garden waste.
A council spokesman said: "The charges were introduced to try and encourage people to recycle more and to think about composting.
"There have been complaints about fly-tipping. But the waiting time for people to have their rubbish removed has been cut."
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