A heap of industrial waste containing asbestos has been cleared weeks after it was first reported.

East Anglian Daily Times: The flytipping found in Mill Lane, St Osyth, contained potentially hazardous material Picture: RICHARD PERRYThe flytipping found in Mill Lane, St Osyth, contained potentially hazardous material Picture: RICHARD PERRY (Image: Archant)

Richard Perry lives close to the site that he claims is frequently used as a fly tipping spot in Mill Lane, between Great Bromley and Ardleigh in Essex.

What appeared to be industrial waste was left there before Christmas 2019 and was identified by Tendring District Council as asbestos, meaning it could only be removed by specialist staff.

"I reported it more than once to the council and it wasn't removed for months," said Mr Perry.

"That kind of waste could be harming anybody left like that.

"This spot by the pumping station often has waste on it because it's out of the way, you can't see it from the main road, it's outside an Anglian Water pumping station."

A Tendring District Council spokesman said any fly tip with hazardous material takes longer to clear as specialists are needed to handle the waste safely.

"This fly tip was visited by our contractors when it was first reported, but it could not be cleared until specialists were able to arrive and remove the potentially hazardous waste," he added.

"One of our officers re-visited this incident on February 9 and is seeking confirmation all of the suspected asbestos has been removed, at which point our contractors can return and finish off the clearance."

This incident was resolved the same week it was revealed the East of England has one of the lowest levels of flytipping of regions in the UK.

Tendring council have recorded nine incidents of flytipping since 2011 - the highest total in Suffolk and north Essex in that time was 331 incidents in Braintree.

Babergh, Mid Suffolk, Forest Heath and Suffolk Coastal have all seen a drop in the number of incidents since 2011.

However, the data is compiled by councils on an annual basis and shows flytipping records are not consistently kept. It is not clear when some authorities began recording flytipping incidents.

"We take fly tipping seriously and will always look to take action if we can find those responsible," the spokesman added.

"We always ask the public to help us by reporting fly tips promptly, and also to take responsibility for their waste, such as by ensuring their contractors are licensed waste carriers."