The sheer scale of a huge 'illegal' waste dump that has blighted a rural community for years can be revealed in these shocking aerial photos.
The sprawling mass of rubbish that covers 2.5 acres of the bucolic Dorset landscape was uncovered in a joint operation staged by police and officers from the Environment Agency.
The toxic junkyard contained dozens of wrecked cars, countless empty skips and shipping containers, tonnes of twisted metal, plasterboard, bin bags and old gas canisters and oil drums.
Read more: Huge illegal waste site is found in Wimborne
Stunned officers found 25ft high piles of hazardous and non-hazardous junk on the rural site that 'shouldn't have been there'.
Police said an estimated £50,000 worth of suspected stolen plant machinery was also recovered.
Read more: Wimborne 'stolen' machinery: man released under investigation
A search of another address connected to the tip uncovered a further £15,000 worth of stolen machinery.
A 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
The location of the dump is near to the smart market town of Wimborne.
A waste management company is registered to the same address as the site.
According to its website, the company offers 'environmentally friendly' waste collection.
It states that all the recyclable waste taken from people's homes is taken to recycling centres and that 'no job is too big' for them.
When approached, a representative from the company declined to comment.
Sergeant Lee Turner, of Dorset Police, said: "This whole site was an illegal waste site. It shouldn't have been there.
"Our colleagues from the Environment Agency were shocked at the sheer scale of it. They hadn't seen anything like it for about 15 years.
"The fact they thought they could get away with this - putting members of the community at risk and damaging our beautiful rural scenery - is unacceptable."
A spokesman for Dorset Police's Rural Crime Team said the site contained hazardous, non-hazardous and 'other polluting materials'.
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