A COUNCILLOR has blasted the culprit who illegally dumped waste in Hurstbourne Tarrant last week.

It comes just a fortnight after Hampshire County Council’s executive member for environment and transport Cllr Rob Humby’s decision on the future of Hampshire’s household waste recycling centres (HWRCs).

As previously reported by this paper, the authority is set to keep open all of its 24 centres, including the Andover site, but from January the entire network will close every Thursday.

Hours will also be cut, with sites opening at 11am daily rather than 9am. While the changes have not yet come into force, critics fear the level of flytipping in the area will rise as a result of the cuts.

Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) is appealing for information in relation to flytipping incidents in Hurstbourne Tarrant.

A spokesperson said: “Due to the rural nature of Test Valley, the area is sadly targeted by flytippers who believe they can dump their rubbish unnoticed.

“We investigate all flytips and work closely with the local police and the Environment Agency to track down offenders.

“Unfortunately we did not find any useful evidence in the flytips at Hurstbourne Tarrant, therefore we are appealing to the public for information.

“Anyone who pays for their waste to be disposed of privately is asked to check the credentials of the individual or company offering the service.

“There have been a number of cases where people have paid for their waste to be disposed of in good faith only to find their rubbish has been flytipped, which can leave them liable to prosecution themselves.”

On the incidents, Cllr Humby said: “It’s very sad to see this in Hampshire’s countryside.

“Flytipping is illegal, damaging to the environment and expensive for local councils to deal with, which is why we are prioritising working with a wide range of partners including district councils, the Environment Agency, the police and other organisations with rural interests to tackle this head on.”

To report flytipping please call TVBC customer services on 01264 368000 or visit www.testvalley.gov.uk.