Scotland is being blighted by mountains of old tyres, broken pallets, builders’ waste and piles of litter carelessly dumped by fly-tippers. 

At roadsides, in farmers’ fields, beside children’s playgrounds and strewn across spare ground in cities, towns and even rural villages, mounds of filthy waste have left councils battling to stay on top of a massive clean-up operation. 

As well as being unsightly, smelly and potentially dangerous, the ugly piles of rubbish provide havens for rats and other vermin.

In some cases – such as an Annan farmer who discovered piles of asbestos sheets dumped on his land - landowners have been left with hefty bills to clear up other people’s rubbish, including human and clinical waste, raw meat and chemicals.

While the cost to the public purse of trying to tackle the problem is said to be at least £11 million a year.

Now calls are growing for tougher action to tackle the problem, and for Scots who shame the nation by flouting fly-tipping laws to take responsibility for their own mess.

Fly-tipping surged during lockdown when recycling centres temporarily closed just as furloughed workers turned to DIY projects to stay busy. 

However, it is believed to go far deeper than the current pandemic, with fly-tipping incidents ballooning at the same time as tougher rules emerged to encourage more recycling, with fewer bin collections and rising charges at council recycling centres for trade waste. 

There are now also increasing signs that fly-tippers are becoming bolder: last week residents in East Kilbride found fridges and couches brazenly dumped in a residential street, with household waste and tyres strewn across popular woodland walks.

The problem spans the country: in West Lothian, 73 tonnes of fly-tipped waste were collected between October and December, costing the local council £50,000. In South Lanarkshire, the council spent £8000 in a week collecting nine tonnes of waste from unofficial roadside tips, including a toilet, paint tins and potentially risky oil drums and gas canisters.

There are also concerns that some fly-tipping is rooted in organised crime after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency dealt with the third trailer dumped full of waste in Central Scotland in the space of three months. 

It now fears a new trend in waste crime has come to Scotland: similar instances of waste-filled trailers at roadsides and industrial sites have become a rising problem in England in recent months. 

Jennifer Shearer, SEPA’s Head of Enforcement, said: “A high proportion of individuals or companies that are involved in waste crime are also associated with other criminality and this activity has continued during the pandemic. 

“In addition to causing serious pollution putting communities at risk and placing further stress on legitimate operators – as well as on the public services that have to deal with it - waste crime impacts investment and economic growth. 

“Serious and organised waste crime is estimated to cost the UK economy at least £600 million a year.”

Andrew McPherson, Head of Regulatory Services and Waste Solutions at North Lanarkshire Council, said: “The costs incurred in removing these two trailers and disposing of the resulting waste has cost the local authority many thousands of pounds.

“This is money which has had to be diverted away from key critical frontline services such as social care and education.

“If people think that this type of incident doesn’t cause harm or does not affect anyone, then they should think again.”

Farmers and landowners, who often bear the brunt of having to clean other people’s rubbish, have led the call for tougher action. 

Senior officials from the National Farmers Union Scotland and the Scottish Land & Estates say they need greater clarity on Scottish Government plans to confront the problem which they say has been exacerbated by the removal of grants to help towards the clearance of dumped waste on private land.

Andrew McCormick, NFUS, said: “This an abhorrent crime and a blight on our industry.

“NFU Scotland is seeking changes to remove the many risks fly-tipping creates for our members."

We have seen food waste and hazardous materials being dumped, creating a health and safety threat for farmers and their animals, plus the burden of costs, inconvenience and time related to its removal all being left up to those affected.”

Human and clinical waste, building materials, raw meat, asbestos and car batteries are said to pose particular problems for landowners, who claim poor prosecution rates are not helping in the fight against illegal dumping.

Barry Fisher, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful added: “Flytipping is not a victimless crime. We all lose through the continuing and devastating impact on the environment, as well as increased costs of cleaning up. Sadly, the increase in reported incidents during the lockdowns shows we have a long way to go before everyone realises that they need to take personal responsibility for their waste and dispose of it legally and carefully with licensed companies.

“Enforcement is a key part of the solution to our flytipping problem, alongside provision and good access to waste disposal facilities, education initiatives and campaigns.

“The simple fact is that if we all took responsibility for our waste there would be no need for enforcement.”

Last month it emerged that the Scottish Government has failed to collect a single penny from those caught illegally dumping waste by using a new tax power that was introduced five years ago.

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: “Fly-tipping is a blatant form of anti-social behaviour that spoils our environment and undermines communities.

“Fly-tipping is a significant drain on our resources both in terms of clearing up after the culprits but also in relation to the environmental and financial costs of disposing of the waste.

“Anyone who is guilty of fly-tipping leaves themselves open to prosecution and we will always look for evidence that will support such a prosecution.”