Persistent fly-tipping has been blasted - after rubbish was dumped near to a recycling centre.

Litter, including tyres and an ironing board, were abandoned beside the recycling area at Chapel Street car park.

Egremont town council chairwoman Lena Hogg criticised the “unthinking, lazy individuals” behind the fly-tipping.

“The recycling area on the car park just behind the Main Street is now used as an unofficial rubbish tip with everything from ironing boards to motorcycle tyres and household rubbish left there,” said Coun Hogg.

“Copeland Council check the area every day and remove all of these items but I feel that people who dump this rubbish now seem to think it’s OK to leave it, as eventually someone will collect it.

“It is breaking the law, why should the residents in the area of the recycling site have to put up with this illegal and anti-social behaviour? And why should the council have to send transport and personnel at a cost to all the council taxpayers in Copeland to clean up after these unthinking, lazy individuals?”

Last year, the popular recycling site was ravaged by arson attacks which cost the borough council over £3,000.

Firefighters were called to the area three times in a month to deal with blazes which destroyed two containers and saw cardboard collections set alight twice in a fortnight.

According to Coun Hogg, fly-tippers have been striking across the area. She said: “Fly-tipping is happening all round Egremont, even in the countryside surrounding the town, Moor Row, Woodend and even Thornhill.”