Flytippers have struck again at a moorland beauty spot.

Fridges and bags of rubbish have disfigured the appearance of Marsden Moor, having been thoughtlessly dumped.

Not just a danger to the surrounding wildlife, the rubbish has been left teetering on a steep valley slope above a footpath near to Mount Road, posing a threat to walkers.

It is the latest in a pernicious spate of fly tipping, which the National Trust has warned is becoming a “huge problem.”

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The photos of the dumped items were taken by Charlie Brookes while she was out walking in the area.

“Someone could have been hurt, had anyone been walking there at the time”, she said.

“It makes me angry when I see this happening, and very disappointed with the people responsible.

Fridges amongst items fly tipped on Marsden Moor off Mount Road. The National Trust says the problem is getting worse

“It wouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to arrange for the council to collect their rubbish, but they want it gone now and do not care where it ends up.

“I understand that election leaflets from Oldham have been found amongst the rubbish.

“I hope they manage to trace where it came from and I would like to see them having to pay all costs to have it removed.”

Fly-tippers have been increasingly using rural areas around Marsden to dump the rubbish instead of disposing of it properly.

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Craig Best, lead National Trust ranger for the Marsden Moor and Hardcastle Crags site, is deeply worried about the situation.

“It’s becoming a huge problem. The last couple of months it’s escalated and over the Easter month we must have had a dozen incidents.

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“There’s been fly tipping on the A640 New Hey Road, Mount Road, Wessenden Head and other places.

“It’s not just people trying to dump their rubbish directly that are to blame but also those who pay to have their rubbish removed, who don’t check to ensure it’s being dumped legally.

“And this isn’t a new issue but cannabis growers are dumping the remains of plants, containers, heating light bulbs etc up here.”

Craig described the effect of fly tipping.

Fridges amongst items fly tipped on Marsden Moor off Mount Road. The National Trust says the problem is getting worse

“We are working with the local authorities who remove the majority of rubbish that’s classed as being on public highways”, he said.

“But we are having to foot the bill for the other items that are dumped on our land.

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“So not only are residents having to pay for this but National Trust money that should be used for renovation and improving public access is being diverted.

“When people tip their garden waste they are causing risks to the moor.

Invasive species such as knotweed could wreak havoc on the land, and this has become a problem in other parts of the country.

“We’d like whoever’s doing this to stop but it’s likely to continue unfortunately, because there aren’t enough resources to properly police the area.

“We would ask that if anyone spots fly tipped rubbish they call the council so that it gets removed as soon as possible.”