THE Mayor of Chipping Norton is concerned that flytipping will increase in the area if a new recycling centre is not opened soon.

Chipping Norton’s household waste recycling centre, Dean Pit was closed last September despite more than 1,000 signatures gathered by campaigners against the plans.

Residents now have to take a 30-mile round trip to the nearest tip in Shipston or even further afield.

West Oxfordshire District Council has earmarked land at Greystones on Burford Road, Chipping Norton, as the site of a potential new recycling centre but a formal planning application is yet to be submitted.

Mayor Chris Butterworth said fly-tippers had hit Chipping Norton within the last month.

He said: “Household items including a mattress were dumped in Glyme Lane, off the Burford Road, which is frustrating.

“It [incidents of flytipping] will only increase the longer the district council takes to decide on the location for a new recycling centre.”

The latest incident of fly-tipping in the county was in December when a large quantity of builders’ waste from a swimming pool renovation was dumped in a quiet country lane near Clanfield.

Environmental enforcement officers working for WODC are looking to catch the offender and are appealing for help to identify the person who dumped the waste.

Sara Long, spokeswoman for West Oxfordshire District Council said the district council took fly-tipping very seriously.

She said: “We work hard to clear up and reduce the number of incidences of fly-tipping in West Oxfordshire as a whole.

“Every reported case of flytipping is investigated and this includes the use of covert surveillance at fly-tipping ‘hot spots’ in the district, as well as close working with Thames Valley Police, trading standards and the Environment Agency.”

Fly-tipping can be reported online at westoxon.gov.uk/ reportit or by calling 01993 861060.