Sunderland council is investigating after "selfish" fly-tippers dumped large amounts of waste at three separate locations in the city in the space of just five days.
One pile was discovered in the car park at Hendon Beach while a further two were found in the car park at Tunstall Hills on separate occasions.
The council said the irresponsible fly-tipping is putting an "additional strain" on a service that is already stretched due to the impact of coronavirus pandemic.
Now they are calling on anyone with information that could lead to the prosecution of those responsible to come forward.
Fiona Brown, Executive Director of Neighbourhoods, said: "We would urge anyone who can help us catch the culprits behind this irresponsible and selfish behaviour to come forward with information.
"Fly-tipping is not only unacceptable but it's also illegal and we can and will take action against those responsible if we have the evidence to do so.
"We know that household waste and recycling centres are currently closed and bulky waste collections suspended but we would ask people to do the right thing and act responsibly by storing their waste until it's safe to dispose of.
"We'd also urge people to be wary of companies advertising waste disposal who may be less than scrupulous as this is putting an additional strain on a service that is already stretched due to the impact of coronavirus."
All residents have a legal responsibility to ensure that anyone they are employing to remove waste from their property holds a valid Waste Carrier Licence and that their waste is going to be disposed of in the correct manner.
You can check that a waste carrier is registered on the Environment Agency's website or by calling them on 08708 506 506.
Anyone with information which might help the council trace those responsible for the waste fly-tipped at Hendon Beach and Tunstall Hill Car Parks can contact the council on 520 5550.
