40 mattresses dumped at three New Forest spots in latest flytipping incident

WITNESSES are being sought to find those responsible for flytipping more than 40 mattresses at three New Forest spots.

Over the weekend, mattresses were dumped in car parks at Matley Wood, near Lyndhurst, Wootton Bridge in Brockenhurst, and Burbush, near Burley.

A Forestry England spokesperson told the A&T: “Dumping waste in this way sadly reflects the lack of respect some have for this special landscape. It endangers others but can be extremely hazardous to wildlife.

“We urge all householders and businesses to be aware of their own responsibilities for making sure their waste is disposed of properly and to ensure they check the person they are using is licensed to do so by using the Environment Agency website.

The spokesperson added: “We have arranged for them to be removed, a costly exercise given the scale of the flytip, and diverting precious resources away from looking after the Forest.”

Cllr David Harrison, a town, district and county councillor who is also a member of the national park authority, spoke of his shock at the scale of the flytip: “I find it hard to believe that anybody can dump mattresses and get away with it. Where have they come from? Not the sort of thing that one finds in your average house.”

He added: “If you have a good idea where these mattresses belong, I would love to see these returned to the owner and the offender prosecuted for flytipping in our national park.”

Those with information about the incident is asked to contact Forestry England on 0300 067 4601 or via email southern.enquiries@forestryengland.uk