CALLS have been made for tougher action against fly-tippers who are blighting a Bradford beauty spot.

John George, who has lived on Shay Close for more than 30 years, said the problem of rubbish being dumped in Heaton Woods, off Shay Lane, is becoming a "daily eyesore".

Bags full of insulation material and other items thought to be trade waste have been left strewn across a 200 yards stretch of the woods.

Mr George, a 62 year-old retired sales engineer, said he had been reporting the site to the Council for about two years, most recently on March 11.

Despite an e-mail reply on March 17 saying someone from the authority's environmental health enforcement team would contact him, Mr George yesterday said he had yet to hear from anyone.

"There seems to be a constant stream of people just dumping stuff," he said.

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"Months on end go by, and nothing seems to be done. When it occasionally does get cleared, it doesn't even scratch the surface of the debris.

"I walk my dogs on the paths through the woods every day, and it's a daily eyesore that people have to endure.

"I've not heard from the Council, and I'm sick and tired of reporting what appears to fall on deaf ears."

Mr George said he had spoken to the Council about setting up CCTV in the area, partly funded by the fines imposed on anyone caught fly-tipping.

"I've broached the idea of CCTV with the Council, but they said it can't be done as there is no power source," he said.

"It's time the culprits were caught and hit with fines and prosecutions to serve a lesson to other potential fly-tippers.

"I've lived here for the past 30 years, and this has only become a major problem in the last year or two.

"It does make you feel like moving at times, you feel like quitting as a lost cause.

"It's happening too often, and something has to be done about what is an appalling blight on our community"

Sue Brown, a trustee of The Heaton Woods Trust, which aims to preserve and replant the woods, agreed the fly-tipping was a "very big issue", adding it was being done on Council-owned land.

"The land belongs to the Council, but people are constantly informing us about the problem," she said.

"It is a frequent thing, and it is usually furniture and black bags full of waste being dumped there.

"We've even found the remnants of two former cannabis farms.

"It is not the responsibility of the trust to remove the rubbish, but it is ruining the land for people who use the area."

A Council spokesman said an investigation was being carried out into ongoing fly-tipping issues at "a number of spots" in Heaton Woods.

"The parks department is aware of these recent incidents, and has managed to clear many of them in the past six months," said the spokesman.

"We will monitor the situation as far as we are able and would urge anyone with information to come forward.

"It would be difficult to install and pay for CCTV when there is such a large area to cover.

"It would really help if people are able to obtain the vehicle registration number, and then notify us on 01274 434366."