COUNCIL chiefs are being urged to remove a caravan full of junk which has been dumped in a Southampton street.

People living at Dunkirk Road say the 26ft vehicle appears to have been used as a skip before being towed to the area and abandoned near their homes.

They claim the caravan is a major fire hazard, adding that its presence is encouraging other people to use the site as a rubbish dump.

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One resident, who asked not to be named, said the vehicle was left on April 27 and was still there, despite being brought to the attention of the city council and the police.

He added: "Members of the public reported it and a council worker who was passing and said he'd report it.

"The caravan is full of rubbish - the owner obviously used it as a skip before fly-tipping it in Dunkirk Road - and it's a massive fire hazard.

"Household items inside the vehicle include clothing, a microwave oven and an old mattress, plus wood and garden waste.

"This has caused the residents a lot of stress during what's already a stressful time It’s a disgrace and an embarrassment to the community in which we live.

"Neighbourhood wardens turned up and looked in it, then the police turned up and looked in it.

Daily Echo:

"On another occasion a person in a van turned up with a Southampton City Council high-vis on, although it turned out he actually worked for the council's contractors, Balfour Beatty.

"He just stuck a 'document enclosed' letter on the caravan and said it had to stay there for four weeks.

"Since it's been in Dunkirk Road it's stripped of parts and further fly-tipping has occurred around it, including huge tree stumps and a settee.

"It's not OK, to fly-tip especially when everyone's mental health is at a all-time low. Residents are worried that if someone set the caravan alight the effect could be a devastating because it’s under a wooded area."

The council defines a hazardous vehicle as one which has broken windows and is full of rubbish or flammable materials

Its website says: "A hazardous vehicle which poses a risk of danger to the public may be removed from a public highway even if it is taxed or has a foreign registered number plate. We will investigate and make an assessment of the risk."

A council spokesperson told the Daily Echo: "The council has attended the site, made an assessment of the vehicle, and is now investigating its removal."