FLYTIPPERS have dumped piles of rubbish down a busy Worcester route - with a furious councillor calling it "despicable".

Tins, milk bottles, pieces of clothing, crisp packets, discarded household cleaning items, bin liners and other debris has been found hurled alongside the verge down Swinesherd Way, along the A4440 in south Worcester.

These images show just some of the mess along the key route, which is near the Whittington island.

As your Worcester News revealed last year across south Worcestershire there were more than 1,200 reports of flytipping during the last financial year, 2013/14, an 11 per cent rise.

But only 50 people were caught, with 29 of them handed £60 fines after tracing them from details left behind and 21 culprits being prosecuted.

The latest incident has led to a furious reaction from Councillor Richard Boorn, who represents the nearby Nunnery ward on Worcester City Council.

"It's despicable, as has been pointed out in previous Worcester News articles the costs to the taxpayer is very considerable indeed," he said.

"We prosecute people who break the law using speed cameras, but it's a shame we can't find a system where we prosecute more people for this too.

"It's completely unacceptable, I condemn it and I'm sure all right minded people think the same."

People living around the area say the road may seem an easy target because of its close proximity to the motorway.

Simon Hollinshead, 51, who lives in the village of Whittington, said: "If these people were ever caught I'd like to see them try and explain it.

"You can whizz down there and be away in no time, it's just such a shame as we all end up paying for it."

A city council spokesman said: "It is illegal to dump rubbish on land at the side of highways and it is a major cost for the taxpayer.

"Cleaning the verges on high speed dual carriageways is particularly expensive because of the health and safety issues.

"Normally we have to arrange the closure of the inside lane so that our staff can work safely, and that means additional costs and inconvenience for motorists.

"We will be cleaning the verge on this stretch of Swinesherd Way in the next few weeks."

Authorities in the UK spent £17.3 million on tackling flytipping last year, a record amount.

Across south Worcestershire the clean-up costs were in excess of £74,000, with the councils saying anyone caught is liable to face a fine or prosecution.

A spokesman for DEFRA (the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs) said increased flytipping across the country cost an extra £2 million in clean-up costs last year.