Fly-tipping: County Durham village blocked by debris in road

The main road through Eldon Lane in County Durham was blocked by illegally dumped waste

Fly-tipped rubbish which blocked a main road through a County Durham village is being investigated.

Rubble, glass and other debris was strewn along Eldon Lane, near Shildon, causing it to be closed off for several hours on Monday evening.

Durham County Council said it took "incidences of fly-tipping very seriously".

One resident said the village had been used as a "dumping ground" by people from outside the area.

Durham Police said the obstruction was reported at about 18:45 BST and the clear-up took several hours before the road was reopened.

Drivers were forced to take significant diversions to reach to surrounding areas.

'No morals'

A villager, who asked not to be named, said: "The traffic had to mount the pavement to go around it until the police closed the road.

"People think it is OK for them to come here and use it as a dumping ground - they just don't have any morals."

Oliver Sherratt, the council's head of environment, said a probe to find those responsible was under way.

"Our priority was to ensure people could have safe access to the road as quickly as possible," he said.

"Our highways and clean and green teams coordinated efforts to remove the rubbish and assist police with a road closure."

Residents said it took several hours to clear

Mr Sherratt said: "[Fly-tipping] can have a significant negative impact on the environment and on the wellbeing of communities.

"In this case, the fly-tip blocked a main road, causing disruption to motorists."

The council has urged anyone with information to make contact.

Last week, Middlesbrough Council launched an investigation after two tonnes of fly-tipped rubbish was cleared from an alleyway in the town centre.

It said the mass of refuse dumped near Kensington Road had made it a "virtually a no-go area" for residents.