The Wrekin is hit again by fly-tippers

This latest mess, which includes household rubbish, plastic bags and wooden frames, was spotted on the Wrekin by Donnington's Safer Neighbourhood Team over the weekend.

It's just the latest in a long line of fly-tipping incidents in and around the Telford area.

Today a representative of Shropshire Wildlife Trust said that fly-tippers were getting more savvy than in the past – and it was hitting charities that would much rather spend donated money elsewhere.

Stuart Edmunds, communications officer for the trust, which looks after the nearby Ercall Hill, said: "The Wrekin is visited by a lot of people. Fly-tipping can have a dramatic effect on the way the whole place looks.

"If it's on our land specifically we're stuck with the cost of removing it. As a wildlife charity it's not ideal to spend money to clean-up other people's mess.

"If it's household domestic waste, there's a good chance there could be chemicals and things that potentially damage the local environment.

"There's also things that attract wildlife, sniff around and get harmed in that way, especially small mammals and voles."

Stuart said that earlier this year, fly-tippers left asbestos sheeting near the Ercall.

"That's especially detrimental to the environment," he said.

"It's bad for humans and that's why it's being removed from places. You can't see the impact it'd have, because you can't monitor these smaller creatures."

Fly-tippers are becoming more aware of "hotspots" Stuart said, and that's why they're starting to dump on quieter, less frequented areas.

"I think the peopel who are doing the fly-tipping are a bit more savvy that there's hot spots monitored by the police," he said.

"There's been an increase over the last year or so of them using nature reserves. They're off the beaten track and they can dump things without being spotted.

"It's not just our spaces either, I know Wenlock Edge has been hit several times over the last few months."

The news of more fly-tipping comes just weeks after Telford & Wrekin Council issued a warning against the use of unlicensed scrap collectors.

Council bosses warned residents who use unlicensed scrap collectors that they face the risk of being fined or hauled before the courts.

Councillor Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for enforcement said: “Using an unlicensed dealer may result in your scrap being tipped in a field or the side of a road.

"If the contents of a fly-tip are traced back to you, you could be fined or taken to court."