RESIDENTS in Chiseldon are being warned to not fall victim to rogue waste collection companies after the village was littered with fly-tipped rubbish last week.

From discarded kitchen appliances to dumped sofas and beds, areas such as Stroud's Hill green, Castle View Road and near the Washpool have been scattered with the waste much to the dismay of locals.

The parish council were prompt to clear the rubbish but have since issued a warning to residents to make sure they are employing reputable companies to take away the rubbish within the remits of the law.

Caroline Brady, chairman of the parish council, said: “Historically, we haven’t had that much fly-tipping around the village until recently and that is when we saw a couple of incidents on Monday.

“We arranged for it to be cleared and the point of doing so was to dissuade other people leaving rubbish around.

“Chiseldon is a pretty area and a lot of people appreciate the environment and the managing of the parish is really important to us as a parish council as to the villagers. People take a huge amount of pride in the village and don’t want this fly-tipping to spoil that.

“We know that fly-tipping is not just a problem in Chiseldon but all across Swindon so people need to be made aware of the implications.”

In hope to make people think twice, the parish council posted details online from the 1990 Environment Act about how homeowners could face prosecution if they employ an unlicensed group to take rubbish away and it is later found dumped.

They also wanted to make people aware that having the fly-tipping removed comes at a cost to the tax payer as the funds used comes from the parish precept.

Caroline added: “Our advice to people is to double check with who they are paying to take their rubbish away because it can come back onto them if the fly-tippers aren’t caught.

“I hope that by raising awareness, it makes people in the village be on guard especially if people are coming around and offering their services to take away waste at a discounted rate.

“I think the majority of the village take pride in where they live and I suspect a lot of people who have paid for their waste to be taken, do not know where it has been taken to.”

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “The actual number of recorded fly-tipping incidents in the borough fell in the 12 months up to March, but it is still an offence we take very seriously.

“The Council works closely with parish councils to help them with incidents of fly tipping within their parish areas because it is a blight on local communities. We would like to remind people that fly-tipping is illegal and we will prosecute those responsible.”