THE issue of fly tippers and litter louts has reared its ugly head over the festive period.With the extra food being consumed and packaging from Christmas presents discarded, many residents have been leaving their bins at collection points with black sacks by the side of them.

THE issue of fly tippers and litter louts has reared its ugly head over the festive period.

With the extra food being consumed and packaging from Christmas presents discarded, many residents have been leaving their bins at collection points with black sacks by the side of them.

The cleansing team at Waveney District Council have been working flat out to remove the waste, which they treat as fly tipping or littering, depending on the volume and severity.

Mike Daniels, cleansing manager at Waveney said: 'Outside the wheelie bin, bags are an obstruction. They are also prone to splitting and cause littering and attract vermin. In addition, they have not been sorted for recycling and will usually end up in landfill.

'As well as bagged waste, we have seen an increase in televisions, carpets and furniture as people make purchases, but give little regard for disposing of their old possessions. As a result, fly tipping has increased, which is very disappointing.'

In addition to clearing up the residential areas of town, the team has spent a number of early mornings clearing litter from along the A146, between Lowestoft to Beccles.

Littering has increased over Christmas and as a result the team was forced to schedule special clear-ups. For safety the work has been carried out first thing, meaning a very early start.

Mr Daniels added: 'The main issue we face is fast food waste that has been thrown from passing vehicles. When a bag of waste is thrown from a car travelling at speed, it hits the ground and spreads everywhere, making the job of clearing it even harder.

'We would like to ask people to keep their rubbish in the car until they reach home, or a litterbin, where they can dispose of it correctly. Many items can be separated and recycled and it only takes a couple of minutes, as opposed to the hours of labour intensive work involved in removing it from roadside verges and hedgerows.'