A DORCAN councillor has launched a campaign to put a stop to fly tipping.

Coun Pete Brown (Lab) believes a minority of residents in the area are causing the majority a major headache.

Almost every week he has to call environmental health officers into Dorcan, Liden and Eldene to clear piles of rubbish, black bags, mattresses and scrap metal.

Not only does that cost money sometimes £500 or more a time it means the area is constantly plagued by eyesores which could otherwise be pleasant open spaces.

The latest hotspots in the area are in Wick Lane, Matley Moor and Ecklington.

In the latter, an old motorbike has been dumped alongside large plastic boards, rusty car parts and black bags full of household waste.

Coun Brown says he is fed up with reminding residents that they are often their own worst enemies.

"These people pay £150,000 or more for their houses and they live in an otherwise nice area, but some people just spoil it by dumping rubbish on their own doorsteps.

"People in general will obviously want to travel the shortest distance possible to get rid of their waste, but they are only hurting themselves if they carry on like this.

"It is a constant problem which I intend to keep fighting I'm determined to keep reminding people that what they're doing is illegal and that they can be punished in the courts."

In Wick Lane, the scene at first appearance does not appear to be a major clearance job, with just a few black bags buried in the undergrowth.

But it will need a JCB, a lorry and two council workers to do the two- to three-hour job, costing around £250.

Coun Brown admits that many other areas of the town also suffer some of them worse than his ward but he is keen to take a firm stance on the issue.

He said: "We've got to try to stop this and the only way to make people realise what they're doing is through the courts we need to catch more people in the act and hit them in the pocket.

"People pay their rents and council tax and will naturally complain when they go up. What they perhaps don't appreciate is that, by saving themselves a trip to the tip and dumping their rubbish, they cost us hundreds of pounds."

He said he will continue to draw the public's attention to the matter, by leafleting and campaigning locally and urging people to use the Barnfield Road and Purton recycling centres more.

His appeal follows an announcement by Swindon Council earlier this month that it is considering introducing charges for collecting bulky waste.

The decision will be made in December, but fears have already been expressed that the move could lead to increased fly tipping.