Mystery surrounds a huge mound of rubbish that has blighted Little Marlow for months – prompting concerns the “dangerous” pile will only get bigger if it is not removed soon.

Bucks County Council (BCC) says it has been struggling to identify the person responsible for clearing the private section of land, after waste was dumped outside Thames Water’s sewage treatment works.

Council teams have searched through the waste and found evidence leading to a suspect – however they have been unable to identify the landowner, and therefore the person responsible for removing the waste.

Chairman of Little Marlow Parish Council, Valerie Brownridge, said more rubbish has been added to the heap since it first appeared, and raised concerns it may attract vermin if food is dumped there.

She said: “We are really frustrated because it seems there is nothing that can be done to remove it because it is on private land.

“We have reported it and tried to see if we can get something done about it but we have come up against a brick wall.

“That seems to mean that the county council can’t do anything about it, so it is up to the land owner.

“It is dangerous because it is not just paper, it’s glass too – there’s all sorts of horrible things in there.

“It’s unsightly and it’s dangerous and it is quite close to the footpath. You get dogs and children walking down there.

“Once you have a pile there other people start adding to it. It is a magnet for other stuff – there isn’t any food or anything like that there at the moment, but if food is added to it then you get vermin coming along.”

A spokesman for BCC said a court case into the fly-tipping incident is due to take place, and the council is still working to identify the landowner.

The spokesman said: “BCC is aware of the waste and have been investigating it. Evidence has been found within the waste, and there is a court case pending.

“The waste itself is way of the high way and it is on private land and it has not been easy to get someone to claim ownership of the land.

“Thames Water say it is not their land, so I think what we have been trying to find out who is responsible for it.

“We can’t just jump in and remove the waste – it would cost vast amounts of money.”