A beautiful stretch of woodland in Newmains is being turned into an eyesore site by dumb dumpers.
Washing machines and mattresses are among the items ditched following a stark increase in illegal fly-tipping since the lockdown was implemented.
Slawek Stochaj, 37, who lives with his wife in Murray Crescent, often walks through the woods with his dog.
The NHS worker known as Slaw (pronounced Slav) has been doing his bit to try and keep the mess under control by bagging as much as he can.
He is calling on other residents living nearby to also do their bit but claims North Lanarkshire Council also needs to do more.
He said: “I’ve been filling up bags with rubbish but when I fill them I then don’t know what to do with them.
“There is nowhere to go with them so I’ve just been stacking them up in the forest.
“It’s only a minute’s walk from my house. It’s really disappointing because this place is lovely – it’s a magic place.
“I think we’ve had a problem here for maybe about a year but much of it has been left recently.
“I’ve been picking up some bags but there’s just too much for me – I can’t do it on my own.”
Slaw is hoping that even if other Newmains residents can’t help clean the place up they will at least try to prevent it getting any worse.
He also believes the problem could be alleviated if the council could reopen the recycling centre at Netherton as people are spending more time at home with many households discarding more waste than normal.
He added: “Every day it gets worse. Seriously, it’s a fantastic place to walk with the dog but everywhere you go now there’s glass and bags. It’s a nightmare.
“The recycling centres have closed and I know there are problems everywhere. This place looks amazing so it’s really disappointing that people would do this.
“I’ve reported it many, many times, not just here but a few places in Newmains. They always say ‘yeah okay, alright, alright’ but then nothing – game over.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We are one of the councils continuing to provide a full household waste collection service that includes residual general household waste, food and garden waste and recycling waste.
“Fly tipping is illegal and anyone caught faces a £200 Fixed Penalty Notice.
“We understand that residents may have more waste than normal but Household Waste Recycling Centres across Scotland are closed in line with government guidance on essential travel and physical distancing.
“This issue is being discussed at a national level and we await guidance from the Scottish Government.”
