FLY-TIPPING is "really irresponsible" and it is up to everyone to ensure they dispose of all rubbish sensibly.

That is the message from Christchurch council's portfolio holder for the environment, councillor Margaret Phipps, who made the claims following news that fly-tipping is on the rise in woodland areas.

The Woodland Trust said 2016 was the worst year on record for fly-tipping and littering, with a clean-up bill costing more than a quarter of a million pounds.

Councillor Phipps said: "To say it's worse in 2016 - I don't think that's quite right because it's always like it. They just seem to be excluded spots out of the way. It's easy and that's why I think they pick these spots and it has always been like that unfortunately.

"Everybody has the opportunity to sensibly get rid of their household rubbish.

"It's really irresponsible. This is where people go for a nice recreational time to walk their dogs. It's often in the entrances to the woodland areas, at Matchams Lane and the car parks."

Since 2010 the total cost of litter clearance in the UK - including routine litter picking and fly-tipping - has risen to £1,202,508.55.

This figure follows a worrying trend where fly-tipping figures have slowly risen over the years, with expenditure for fly-tipping increasing by 191 per cent since 2010. There have been 196 individual tipping incidents recorded in England this year, and the Trust expects this to get worse if stronger deterrents are not put in place.

Norman Starks, Woodland Trust UK operations director, said: “It’s worrying to see that in a world where our woods face constant threats from disease, pests and development that we also have to deal with the actions of mindless individuals. Each year we are spending thousands of pounds clearing up other people’s waste, which could otherwise go towards creating new woods or protecting ancient woodland.

“At the end of the day fly-tipping is an illegal activity, and people need to understand and remember that it has numerous implications for our woods and wildlife. We all need to care for our natural environment, or risk ruining it forever.”

The charity has also highlighted that even ‘green fly tipping’ has become a real issue. Sites have been plagued by a deluge of garden waste such as grass clippings, hedge trimmings, weeds and leaves. Although many would think this is harmless, the additional nutrients carried by these plants throws delicate UK flora into a state of unbalance as plants become smothered and non-native species (such as rhododendron) colonise the area.