More shocking pictures as fridge-freezer among rubbish dumped near popular children's play area

Worryingly for parents of young children, a fridge-freezer was among the rubbish dumped there, as well as four car tyres, a paint bucket, toilet seat, handbag, broken crockery and various bags containing other junk.

The Children’s Forest is a popular spot with local youngsters enjoying games in the fresh air.

The incident took place overnight on June 24/25 and has been reported to Sunderland City Council. One resident says the problem is getting worse.

She told the Echo: “They’re not even putting it in the trees. It’s out in the open and I’d say it’s once a week there’s fly tipping there. It’s supposed to be a bit of a beauty spot.

“Whoever’s doing it is doing it in the middle of the night. People walk their dogs there and are careful not to leave any mess. Then you get this.

“People are not letting their bairns play there. It’s getting worse in South Hylton. It’s ridiculous: and they can’t blame it on the waste recycling place not being open any more.”

Earlier this month five Sunderland householders were ordered to pay clean-up costs, after waste they’d paid to have removed was found dumped in green areas.

In April a van driver’s vehicle was seized after it was believed to have been involved in flytipping.

Residents are reminded that if they employ anyone to remove waste, it’s their legal responsibility to make sure they hold a valid waste carrier licence. This can be checked on the Environment Agency’s website or by calling them on 08708 506 506.

Anyone who sees items they think have been fly-tipped on a street or green space can contact Sunderland City Council to arrange its removal, either by reporting it online at sunderland.gov.uk or by calling 0191 520 5550.

The Echo launched its Clean Streets campaign in December 2017 in response to readers’ concerns about the cleanliness of public spaces across Sunderland.

Backed by Sunderland City Council, the campaign calls on the public to take pride in their community, and report any incidents of fly-tipping and littering.

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