Peter WalshFamilies living in a village on the outskirts of Norwich have called for action to be taken to remove bags of rubbish which were dumped in an area of woodland - more than six months ago.Peter Walsh

Families living in a village on the outskirts of Norwich have called for action to be taken to remove bags of rubbish which were dumped in an area of woodland - more than six months ago.

The wood, off Haveringland Road, Felthorpe, is a popular site for dog walkers and nature lovers, and is a haven for wildlife, including roe deer.

But towards the end of last year, several bags of rubbish in white plastic bags were thrown into the woodland, forming an unsightly stream of strewn litter, which now runs through the wood.

John Reeve, 76, who lives with his wife Tina, in The Street, Felthorpe, took pictures of the half a dozen that had been dumped in the area.

He said: 'It's a real eyesore for people in the village in an otherwise picturesque area. The other day there was a herd of five to six roe deer sniffing around the bags and you don't know if there's anything in there that's toxic and if they eat it, it could affect them.'

Mr Reeve, who used to work for the Daily Express newspaper and has lived in Felthorpe for more than 30 years, said whoever was responsible had just taken 'the easy option' regardless of the consequences for other people or animals.

He said: 'It's a road I use a lot from Felthorpe through Horsford. Every time I go past it, I think it's still there - no-one has taken it away.

'If it'd been on the highway they might have taken it away. But it's still very visible. You can't pass it without it hitting you in the eye. It really is a desecration of a beautiful place; it's a shame.'

A spokeswoman from Broadland said investigations were under way to establish if the rubbish is on council land, in which case they would clean up the mess. If it is on private land, the land owner would be informed of their responsibility to dispose of the waste.

Andy Jarvis, head of environmental services at Broadland District Council, added the authority was committed to tackling fly-tipping - with nine cases currently under investigation and legal action taken against people eight times in the last financial year.

'Fly-tipping is selfish and anti-social; it spoils the local environment, hurts local wildlife and clearing it up results in considerable costs for council tax payers and local businesses.'

If anyone witnesses fly-tipping in the Broadland area they should make a note of the date, time, any vehicle registration number, location and what was seen. Any information or reports of fly tipping can be made by telephoning 01603 430488 or email environ.protection@broadland.gov.uk

Are you living near a hazardous eyesore? Call reporter Peter Walsh on 01603 772436 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk