'Out of control' fly-tipping blackspot cleared in Perth

Rubbish and waste had been illegally dumped at the site for 15 years

More than 230 tonnes of illegally-dumped rubbish and waste has been removed from a fly-tipping blackspot in Perth.

Heavy machinery took three days to clear the fly-tipped waste from the land at Lower Friarton which had been dumped over 15 years.

The council said it had cleared the area, which is on private land, as the problem was getting "out of control."

The rubbish was taken to local sites for metal and plastic to be recycled.

The site on the banks of the River Tay will be further tidied up by the council's unpaid work team.

Fences and walls have been erected on either side of the road to discourage future fly-tipping, with CCTV also installed.

The cleaned-up site will now be monitored by CCTV

The operation was carried out by the council, Scottish Water, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), and Tay Salmon Fisheries.

Council leader Grant Laing said the site had been "an eyesore for some time."

He said: "Rubbish and waste was being dumped right at the edge of the river and so it was posing an environmental risk.

"We estimate that some of the illegally-dumped waste had been there for around 15 years, and the fact we took away over 200 tonnes showed the scale of the problem."

Sepa unit manager Alex Macaskill said illegal operators often collected waste for a fee, promising to dispose of it safely.

He said: "Services that sound too good to be true often are, and could lead to your waste being illegally fly-tipped.

"If they dispose of it illegally and we can trace the waste back to you and you can be held to account and prosecuted or fined. "