THIS IS the 40ft trail of filth left by fly-tippers who targeted a quiet country road in the New Forest.

Household waste, children's toys and part of a car were among the items dumped in Kewlake Lane, Bramshaw, in an incident which has cost taxpayers hundreds of pounds.

It took New Forest District Council about four hours to remove the rubbish and load it into a 7.5-tonne truck.

One Bramshaw resident said: "I've lived here since the early 1990s and it was one of the worst incidents of fly-tipping I've ever seen.

"It's a quiet country lane and I imagine it happened in the middle of the night when no-one was around.

Daily Echo:

"I was disgusted when I saw the huge pile of mess. It wasn't just a few items - it was a long trail of waste which appeared to have been tipped out of a slow-moving vehicle."

Bramshaw councillor Edward Heron added: "I'm appalled that anyone would illegally dump this waste, especially in such an environmentally sensitive place as the New Forest.

"I'd like to thank the street-scenes team who cleared this fly-tip quickly and professionally and therefore minimised the damage to the environment."

A council spokesperson said the cost of removing and disposing of the waste as likely to total about £370.

Cllr Alison Hoare, cabinet member for environment and regulatory services, added: "Fly-tipping like this costs New Forest taxpayers a great deal of money as well as spoiling the area.

Daily Echo:

"We'd ask anyone who may have information on who is responsible for this or any other fly-tipping incident to get in touch with us on 023 8028 5000.

"We would also remind residents and businesses that they're responsible for checking that the company or individual who is offering to take their waste has a waste carrier's licence.

"If their waste is fly-tipped they could also be subject to prosecution.”

The illegal dumping at Kewlake Lane is the latest in a series of fly-tipping incidents which have occurred in the Forest and neighbouring parts of Hampshire, including the Test Valley.

As reported in the Daily Echo, a Hampshire man was recently fined £320 and told to pay £200 compensation after he was caught fly-tipping.

Justin Fray, 49, of Arminers Close, Gosport, was spotted dumping garden waste on a footpath and cycleway near the town's Stoke Lake.