Residents in Clifton have been left disgusted after fly-tipping in the village has escalated.

Allerdale councillor and Clifton resident Peter Gaston said the problem has got worse over the last two or three years.

He said: "It's not acceptable. It's just laziness, people would rather dump it on their own doorstep than take it to the tip."

Problems have arisen at an area on private land between The Gables to Stoneycroft.

A chain link fence was smashed down in order to dump waste at the site. Councillor Gaston said he didn't think it was fair for the landowner to have to face the problem alone, so took it upon himself to rally other councillors and move the rubbish themselves.

Cllr Gaston, assisted by Parish Council chairman Malcolm Fee and independent councillor Will Wilkinson, spent four hours on Tuesday clearing the rubbish into a skip that the parish council hired.

He said: "The fly-tipping started small and more and more has been added, there was a three-piece-suite, five mattresses, beds, an entire shed - all the sections of a garden shed, an ice box, part of a TV stand, springs from mattresses and all sorts of other rubbish."

He added: "I have worked very very closely with Great Clifton parish council, they've paid for a skip at a cost of around £350."

Cllr Gaston said that the joint working between the parish and borough councils on the fly-tipping issue has been excellent, but that it is a shame that public money has had to be used to source a skip, when that money could have been used on something else for villagers.

He thinks that it is people within Clifton that are responsible for dumping the rubbish and he said it is disrespectful and a blight on the village. Many residents have complained to him about the mess and he said they are disgusted.

He is urging people to dispose of their rubbish legally, by taking it to household waste recycling centres and if anyone sees anybody dumping items to report it to Allerdale council or to give him a call on 07720258762.