Rubbish dumped in Birmingham canal and parkland

It is thought the white goods were left overnight and discovered on Wednesday morning

White goods, old tyres and household waste have been dumped near parkland in Birmingham.

It is thought some of the goods were left just off Dudley Road by a vehicle overnight.

As well as various bits of rubbish and waste strewn across the parkland, some polystyrene blocks and other bits of waste were thrown into the canal.

The Canal and River Trust said there had been an increase in fly-tipping and litter along canals during lockdown.

The waste near Dudley Road was a mixture of white goods and tyres, but there was also household waste, including Christmas decorations

Waste has also been thrown into the Soho Loop canal in Birmingham

"It's disgraceful that some people think it's ok for them to dump their rubbish on our canals and rivers," a spokesman said, and added it would be cleaned up as soon as possible.

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Chaman Lal, councillor for the Jewellery Quarter and Soho ward, said it was "unacceptable".

"I don't know why people don't have a regard for the environment." he said. "This is happening all over Birmingham and across the country."

The city council said where it had "credible evidence" it would "investigate and prosecute" those responsible.

The waste was left by the entrance to the parkland and canal just off Dudley Road

The problem is not just with large-scale fly-tipping.

Last week, the city council reported it had collected almost four times the usual amount of litter from its parks compared with last year.

The first half of the year saw 1,713 tonnes of litter collected, it said, compared with 460 tonnes for the same period in 2019.

It pleaded with people to use the parks with care and respect and said the equivalent of 10 extra workers per week were having to be assigned to keep open spaces as clean as possible - diverting them from routine maintenance duties.

The Canal and River Trust is urging people to join its appeal to remove plastics from the canals