'Hundreds of' PPE face masks by Donnington road

Karen Boulton said she was on her way home from work, when she spotted the items on Tuesday lunchtime

Hundreds of face masks have been found dumped by the side of a road in Telford.

Driver Karen Boulton, 51, said she spotted them on Humber Lane at the back of Donnington military base on Tuesday.

She said they were scattered over about half a mile and questioned whether they had been used.

Telford and Wrekin Council said the items had been treated as fly-tipping, escalated with a contractor and cleared on Tuesday evening.

A spokesperson for the MoD base said the road was a public highway and it was unaware of the incident.

Optician Mrs Boulton, from Derrington near Stafford, said: "When I have purchased PPE for my business, medical-grade masks are boxed, so to see lots of them with no cardboard... that makes me believe they weren't new.

• SYMPTOMS: What are they and how to guard against them?

• 40,000 DEATHS: Could they have been prevented?

• FACE MASKS: When should you wear one?

• TESTING: Who can get a test and how?

• YOUR QUESTIONS: Our experts have answers

She said there had been comments on Facebook that two local women had been clearing up the mess and that the items could have represented "a massive risk to public health".

Telford and Wrekin Council said there had not been a waste collection in the area recently, so was unlikely to be caused by a refuse lorry, and appealed for more information on the suspected fly-tipping.

The council said the lane was cleared on Tuesday evening