PRESS readers are being urged to help catch fly-tippers after a spate of illegal dumping in South West Fife in recent days.

A huge amount of waste left at the Braefoot Bay access road in Dalgety Bay was reported quickly but, unfortunately for Shell, it was dumped on their land on Sunday some time between 3-10pm.

The oil company is in the process of clearing this up and Fife Council are investigating the incident.

Among the waste was a dog kennel and wheelbarrow, Councillor David Barratt urged residents who might have paid for these items to be taken away help identify who was responsible for the criminal offence.

A mattress dumped at the recycling point at Kinnel Road in Inverkeithing was also reported by locals as well as a large amount of small dog poo bags at the side of Inverkeithing cemetery.

Restrictions are in place at Dalgety Bay Recycling Centre, leading to concerns that this has encouraged fly-tipping.

Bookings have to be made to access the Hillend Industrial Park facility and only cars are allowed to attend, with vans, pick-ups, trailers or other commercial vehicles prohibited.

Councillor David Barratt said: "I don't think there is a significant link between the fly-tipping and restrictions.

"It's not a reasonable excuse for illegal dumping just because you can't take a van to Dalgety Bay.

"It's difficult to operate the centre and vans aren't allowed at the moment but there are some centres that are accepting them.

"Vans take a lot longer than a car to empty and therefore there is a risk of queueing if they were allowed.

"Dalgety Bay just does not have the capacity to do that as they try to maintain social-distancing measures.

"It's opportunists and commercial operators that seem to be more the main culprits and people need to be more careful about who they pay to dispose of their rubbish.

"It's easy to check if they have a licence and they need to remember that they are just as liable for prosecution if it has been dumped illegally.

"Commercial operators cannot use household centres to dispose of items either.

"But for everyone, it's a relatively short drive to a centre."

Dawn Jamieson, team manager for Safer Communities, said: "Unfortunately, in these challenging times, there are a growing number of reports of fly-tipping around Fife. Everyone is responsible for their own waste and must dispose of their rubbish responsibly.

"There's no excuse for fly-tipping, which is a blatant disregard of the law and of our outdoor environment. No-one wants to see rubbish dumped, and it has a direct impact on the condition of our roads, parks, wildlife and communities.

"Our recycling centres are open and we would urge people to make use of these facilities and dispose of recyclable waste responsibly.

"Please also check that anyone you ask to take your waste away is properly registered to do so. Businesses have a legal duty to dispose of their waste responsibly.

"Help keep Fife a great place to live, work and visit. Report fly-tipping by filling out the form at www.fife.gov.uk/flytipping and we'll take the appropriate action."