APPALLED neighbourhood enforcement officers are hunting a 'mindless and irresponsible' flytipper who has dumped up to 100kg of dog faeces into an environmentally sensitive South Lakeland river.

A passer-by made the vile discovery when he saw a number of large bags containing animal waste dumped in the River Kent beneath a stone bridge at Bowston, near Burneside.

South Lakeland District Council contractors sent to clear up the mess described it as one of the worst flytipping incidents the local authority has had to deal with and the as-yet-unidentified culprit faces a £50,000 fine if prosecuted.

Bowston resident John Peatfield discovered the bags while walking his own dog across the bridge last week.

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"The bags have been thrown over from Bowston Bridge," he said. "I went back and waded in to reach one of them and it was brimming with dog poo.

"It's disgusting, absolutely revolting – these are big bags.

"It's one thing that this is fly tipping but it's also a disgrace to leave this kind of thing anywhere, but this is a special river."

He estimated there could be up to 100kg dumped in the river with SLDC's neighbourhood enforcement officers retrieving up to ten bags.

A reporter from The Westmorland Gazette visited the scene and said there was a foul stench coming from one of the bags which had spilled its contents onto the bank of the river beneath the bridge. The split bag had also attracted a swarm of flies.

Mr Peatfield informed the Environment Agency who in turn contacted SLDC who sent out a team to clear up the mess on Tuesday.

"Our neighbourhood enforcement officers have identified what appears to be between eight and 10 large bags in the River Kent at Bowston," said a spokesperson for SLDC. "Some of the bags, which had originally contained dried pet food, appear to be full of dog faeces.

"It appears likely that the bags had been dropped from the local bridge and some are in five feet of water. Our priority is to remove the bags from the water without disturbing the contents.

"Our investigations are ongoing and we would appeal to anyone with any information to ring 01539 733333.”

John Barwise, a member of the neighbourhood enforcement team tasked with clearing up the mess, said: "We reckon there's 10 of these bags that originally contained dog feed but have now been filled with dog faeces.

"Dog faeces is unpleasant at the best of times but this is just totally irresponsible and a mindless act. Somebody has clearly driven onto the bridge and thrown these over the parapet into the river some 15 feet below.

"This is one of the worst fly-tipping incidents we've ever had to deal with. It's very unpleasant stuff and the smell is awful, the person responsible should have taken measures to dispose of this correctly."

Mr Barwise added that removal was proving difficult because the team was attempting to remove the bags without them splitting so that faeces would not spill into the river.

The River Kent is heavily protected, and enjoys a Site of Special Scientific Interest status due to endangered species living in it. Furthermore, during the summer months people are known to enter the river to swim.

David Harpley, Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s conservation manager, said: “The River Kent is probably the best river in the world for good populations of white-clawed crayfish.

"It’s an important river for species at risk including salmon, sea trout, bullhead and lampreys and has the highest protective designations in the UK: Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

"I am appalled that someone has totally disregarded how dumping this disgusting waste in the river could affect wildlife.”

The South Cumbria Rivers Trust was also critical of the deposits made in the river.

“The River Kent is recognised nationally and internationally for its conservation importance and is home to many rare species," said Rebecca Corrie-Close from the charity. "We are disappointed to hear that someone would deliberately act in this way.”

Last year, The Westmorland Gazette launched its Stop the Flytippers Campaign. It aims to raise awareness of the problem in South Lakeland; highlight the environmental damage it causes; urge readers to inform The Westmorland Gazette of incidents which will be passed on to SLDC; encourage readers to inform the authority of fly-tipping incidents they witness so that swift action can be taken and raise awareness of the correct protocol for disposing of waste.

Enforcement officers at SLDC investigate every case of fly tipping that is reported and, if appropriate and possible, action is taken.

This can range from warning letters being issued to prosecutions, potentially significant fines and even custodial sentences.

The maximum penalty for flytipping that can be imposed by the courts is a £50,000 fine and up to five years in prison for the most serious offences.