JAPANESE cook Shige Takezoe is training to take part in the Coast to Coast cycle ride for Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance.

He has been riding his mountain bike for years on the lanes around Chideock and Seatown and more regularly since he has been in training.

But this week he was horrified to see rubbish strewn all over the lane in front of him He said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes this morning when I came across this pile of rubbish sitting right in the lane below Langdon Wood.

“I am sure many others will be as shocked as I was, specially when there is a brand new waste disposal and recycling centre down the road.

“I cannot imagine why someone would do this.

“Do they think nobody is watching, so it is okay?”

Fly-tipping comes under the umbrella of Dorset Waste Partnership which encourages people to report incidents on line at the dorsetforyou.com website.

Its advice is not remove any evidence found from the fly-tipping location, for example, addressed letters, be as specific as possible when describing where the incident has occurred but if you see the incident occurring do not approach the persons involved but do try to note descriptions of people and vehicles.

A spokesman for the partnership said: “If the fly-tipping is on a public highway or public land we will investigate and arrange for the waste to be cleared. We cannot remove waste from privately owned land, as this is the landowner’s responsibility.

“The correct disposal of waste requires time and money. Some individuals and companies try to beat the system by disposing of theirs illegally. Criminal groups can often make large profits from activities such as organising illegal fly-tipping. This is why it is important that we prosecute those who commit environmental crimes.

“Illegally dumping waste can be very harmful to animals and the environment, and can lead to the pollution of land and water courses. Fly-tipping can also harm human health and be detrimental to the quality of life for the people living around such incidents.”

Those caught fly-tipping can be prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Every year councils spend a considerable amount of time and money removing this waste from the landscape.

Flycapture, a government organisation, estimated the cost of clearance and disposal of fly-tipped waste to local authorities in England was more than £74 million.