An East Lothian mum has spoke of her anger after a popular dog walking spot has been targeted with fly tipping.
Stella Smith, from Musselburgh, shared an image on Facebook that showed a huge pile of old wood and rubble that had been dumped down at the Grove, a popular dog and family walking area.
Fearing it poses a threat to animals and any children that could go up to the heap and cut themselves on the sharp wood and nails, Stella voiced her frustration and reported the issue to East Lothian Council.
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Stella noted that she walks her dog in this area often and couldn't get her head around why people think dumping hazardous rubbish like this, instead of disposing of it correctly, is acceptable.
She said: "To be honest, although I’ve seen a fair bit of fly tipping in other places around Musselburgh, this is the first time I’ve encountered it down the Grove.
"I walk my dog there every day, and when I came across it yesterday, I just felt very saddened & disappointed. I really don’t understand the mentality of people who feel it’s okay to do this. Cutting corners by dumping a whole load of ripped up flooring on a public pathway in a beautiful, peaceful area of Musselburgh.
She also added that if the gate that allows access to the path is not locked correctly, this may be a reoccurring issue in the future.
She went on to say: "They’ve obviously been able to take a vehicle on to the pathway, so perhaps the access gate needs to be more regularly locked again, because I’d hate to see this becoming a regular occurrence."
After the issue was reported to East Lothian Council, they responded by saying issues such as this are taken very seriously and they are currently looking into the incident.
A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “East Lothian Council works alongside local and national partners in addressing the issue of fly-tipping and will seek to identify those responsible.
"If anyone has any information that would lead to the identification of the offender in this instance, we would encourage them to contact the Safer Communities Team on 01875 824 307."
With fly-tipping becoming a regular occurrence within Edinburgh and the Lothians since the pandemic began, locals are starting to see the hazardous and potentially dangerous effects that could follow.
