Tomatoes growing in fly-tipped waste six months on

Alan Howgate spotted the waste being dumped six months ago and said it has been left so long tomatoes and other fruit are growing

A 100-tonne mound of fly-tipped waste has been left so long that tomatoes have started to grow from it.

Dog-walker Alan Howgate spotted the culprits in the act dumping the rubbish under the M53 in Bidston, Wirral, with an articulated lorry on 6 March this year.

Six months on, Mr Howgate, who photographed and reported the suspects, said he was "exasperated" that nothing has been done to shift the "smelly" pile.

The Environment Agency (EA) said an investigation is still ongoing.

Steve Taylor (left) and Alan Howgate said they feel "exasperated" and "disappointed"

The site, close to the Bidston Moss nature reserve and the Junction One retail park, is privately owned, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

This means it is the landowner's responsibility to remove the waste, although the EA and local authorities can take enforcement action.

Mr Howgate has said he estimated about five lorry-loads had been dumped at the site, which is on a culvert running into a Bidston stream which in turn feeds into the River Birket.

He he feared there could be an impact on local wildlife.

Mr Howgate said he called 999 and sent his photographs - which included the lorry still at the scene - to Wirral Council.

The rubbish was left on private land, meaning it is the landowner's responsibility to shift it

This apparent lack of action has sparked complaints from both Mr Howgate and Steve Taylor, who runs a local litter picking group.

Mr Howgate told the LDRS: "The hours and hours I am spending trying to get something to be done about it and I am getting close to the point of giving up myself.

"Other people have been down this road and given up and I can see why.

"You try to do good. You think you are doing good but you are not getting anywhere."

Mr Taylor said he wanted an update on the case, adding: "It makes me feel exasperated especially with all the effort we put in with what we do here.

"If it's just abandoned and left to be littered. It becomes the norm."

It is the second time waste has been dumped at the site.

In September 2021, approximately nine truck loads of rubbish were left in the same area, prompting an investigation.

The EA took enforcement action after that incident.

An EA spokesperson said: "Our investigation into waste being dumped under the M53 motorway near Bidston on the Wirral is ongoing.

"We are working with Greater Manchester and Merseyside Police to co-ordinate this investigation effectively."