THESE shocking pictures show how a picturesque beauty spot has been blighted "beyond belief" by the scourge of fly tipping.

Popular with walkers, nature lovers and fishermen, the steep Cliviger Gorge has fallen victim to a deluge of bin bags, abandoned mattresses and washing machines.

Fans of the picturesque valley in Burnley, Lancs, that was shaped by glacial erosion during the last ice age, are up-in-arms at how it has become an unofficial dumping ground.

The latest mass littering, with hoards of plastic bags - posing a threat to the environment - makes the view look more like a landfill site.

Kevin Thompson, 64, who lives on Long Shay farm near a viewpoint that overlooks the gorge said: “It’s absolutely horrendous.

"It is a real blight on a beautiful landscape.

“The council cannot remove rubbish due to the risk to health and safety. The council needs to install CCTV to catch the perpetrators out. Nothing ever seems to be done."

He blames the council for imposing charges on those who wish to get rid of their waste at the tip.

He said: "People can essentially dump their waste for free in the woodland."

John Thornton, 75, who spotted the waste four weeks ago when enjoying his breakfast at a sandwich van in the lay-by said ‘he had not seen anything like it before.’

In a bitter twist the horrendous expanse of waste is located near to posters saying "Let's stop fly-tipping."

Of the latest tip, a Burnley Council spokesman said: "It's beyond belief that someone could destroy our beautiful countryside without a thought or a care for the devastating impact this kind of mindless behaviour has.

"This is fly tipping on an industrial scale and must have taken several trips to complete.

"There is no excuse for this selfish, criminal act.

"If anyone has any information on who is responsible for this outrageous act we want to hear from you so we can catch and prosecute them.

"We are working with Lancashire County Council and other partners to find a safe and effective way of removing this waste.

"It's going to be a difficult job given the steepness of the terrain and the quantity of rubbish but we'll get it done.

"We're also looking at ways of preventing this kind of thing from happening at this site again.

"This incident reinforces our Let's SCRAP flytipping campaign which urges everyone to ensure they only use accredited and professional waste carriers to take away their rubbish.

"Most waste carriers are responsible but there are some 'cowboys' out there that don't care where they dump rubbish as long as they're paid."

Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence for which you can be prosecuted.

The courts have various powers available to them to tackle fly-tipping, including imprisonment, substantial fines of up to £50,000 orders to pay costs and an order to deprive rights to a vehicle used to commit the offence.