RESIDENTS have hit out at a pile of rubbish which has been lying in a Test Valley lane for over a month.

Burnt pieces of wood, plastic bags and household furniture were all discovered discarded in Misslebrook Lane, Chilworth.

The waste was found by cyclist Dan Stobart on Friday, January 3, but the tipped rubbish is believed to have been there since December 3.

The 35-year-old from Romsey said: "I saw the rubbish at 1.30pm and it was just dreadful to see. It looked like it had been there for a while.

"I cannot believe someone has not said anything about it before; I love where I cycle and I don't want it to impact the environment so if I see anything that is dumped when I go out cycling I post it on the My Test Valley app because it is not nice to see.

"It is lazy as there is a tip just up the road and the people there are friendly and really organised."

The graphic designer added: "Looking through the rubbish, I noticed there were a couple of bags and there could be some items that tips charge people for, which could be why they have dumped it.

"I hope it gets resolved soon really because I am going over to Chilworth this weekend and it would be nice not to see the rubbish."

Cllr Philip Bundy, who represents Chilworth, Nursling and Rownhams on the borough council, said: "Flytippers need to be aware that Test Valley Borough Council treats these matters very seriously and have taken a number of individuals to court, where heavy fines have been imposed.

"I feel very strongly about flytipping, yet people seem to carry on doing it."

He added: "We are now employing various methods to trace individuals that are responsible for flytipping.

"In Nursling and Rownhams, in particular, we have upgraded our CCTV around the village hall and we have introduced number plate recognition cameras, so if someone is looking to do anything there they should watch out."

Cllr Alison Finlay, who represents Chilworth, Nursling and Rownhams on the borough council, said: "The issue here is that particular area is the responsibility of Southern Gas Network and they were advised about this fly-tip well before Christmas.

"Test Valley Borough Council is obliged to await their instructions as to whether they intend to move it or want to engage the Council to do so; that is why the it has been there for a while.

"The borough council is always very proactive with flytipping, for example a recent case in Chilworth saw an owner fined about £2,500 for goods tipped by his contractor.

"People need to be aware of the person who is taking their rubbish and in the past I have seen fridges and freezers being dumped on that site, because when we approach Christmas people want to get rid of their stuff."

A spokesperson from Test Valley Borough Council said: "We first notified Southern Gas Network of the flytip after it was reported to us on December 3."

Southern Gas Network were contacted for comment.