A FURIOUS landlord says enough furniture is being flytipped near his homes to furnish a house.

The homeowner, who did not wish to be named, said Armstrong Street in the town centre is a hotspot, being left littered with chairs, a wheelbarrow and much more.

The developer, who owns two houses on the street said: “Look at what this place has become.

“When I was growing up here you would have been so scared to drop litter in case you got caught.

“The amount of people that were house proud is what made this area so clean.

“It was an extremely proud place to live.

“The alleyway was always being swept clean and I have found memories of people playing backstreet bowls and socialising.”

“I cannot comprehend why people would want to live like this and ruin a once-vibrant space.

“Honestly, you could find most of your furniture here to furnish your house if you time it right,” added the developer.

Swindon has been plagued with fly-tipping in recent months. In January, a huge pile of rubbish, including mattresses and building insulation, was dumped in Manchester Road. And this year there have been reports of fly tipping in Old Town, Gorse Hill and Wichelstowe.

But stricter penalties look set to be introduced, which could see fly-tippers fined £400. If follows the revelation that Swindon Borough Council spends in excess of £250,000 a year on cleaning up after fly-tippers.

A council spokesman said: “We take fly-tipping extremely seriously and we regularly investigate reports of fly-tipping, searching for evidence in order to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.

“Last year our Envirocrime team recovered £34,000 and we expect to recover an even greater amount this financial year.

“The public can play a crucial role in acting as our eyes and ears and if anyone has any information about fly-tipping incidents they can contact us on 01793 445501.”