Leather SOFAS dumped at Shropshire beauty spot

The surreal scene of two large leather sofas has greeted visitors to Clee Hill as an unknown fly-tipper offloaded them next to the Titterstone car park.

The scrapped sofas are being flagged up by the Friends of Clee Hill Forum, a community group formed to tackle issues in the rural area, as an example of just how bad littering can be on top of the picturesque hill.

Anthony Pryor, vice chair of the friends group, said he was "disgusted" when he saw the big black chairs just sitting at the side of the road, sticking out like a sore thumb.

He said: "This is a growing problem on Clee Hill, but it's an unnecessary problem.

"The tip has closed in Ludlow, but you've only got to go to Craven Arms where they'll take furniture in – in fact you don't even have to go that far, Knowle Sports Association in Clee Hill will collect furniture if it's got a second life, and sell it to raise money for the upkeep of the local sports ground."

However, he said it was possible the sofas had not come from Clee Hill, or even south east Shropshire, as fly-tippers were known to travel to remoter locations away from their own patch.

"It could have come from anywhere, maybe as far as the West Midlands – because it's not in their back yard," he said.

He said tackling litter was one of the Friends of Clee Hill Forum's most successful initiatives, but having to tackle larger items was an increasing issue.

"The friends do a monthly litter pick which generates 15 to 20 bags of rubbish," he said.

"That's litter from the sides of the road, bits and pieces people just throw away. In amongst that we used to have an area on the hill where drug users would congregate, with needles and other nasties left there.

"But a growing problem is the dumping of larger items, such as sofas, all kinds of building materials and even an old car.

"All of Clee Hill is owned by someone or other, and because it's private land Shropshire Council won't come and collect it.

"They say it's the responsibility of the land owner, which I suppose would be the normal thing across the county.

"But it means if a farmer gets a car dumped on his land he's told 'that's your problem'."

He said parts of Clee Hill were owned by farmers, private estates, charitable trusts and Natural England.

A defunct car was dumped in a car park owned by Caynham Parish Council, which covers Clee Hill, and cost the authority £600 to dispose of which could have gone towards more productive community services.

The sofas have now been removed and properly disposed of by a local contact with a van, Mr Pryor said.