A SPATE of flytipping across South Buckinghamshire has overwhelmed the county council - leaving a pile of rate infested shredded waste lying in the road in the middle of Denham.

The pile has angered Barney Doherty who owns the paddocks and stables on Willets Lane and says he has been contacting the council for months trying to get something done about the pile just outside his premises.

He said: "Rats are crawling in and out of it now. It is a threat to children living around here but nothing seems to be done."

This week Bill Chapple OBE, cabinet member for planning and environment on Bucks County Council apologised for the delay.

He revealed that the authority had been working closely with the Environment Agency (EA), which has been investigating a spate of dumping on 20 shredded waste flytipping sites across South Buckinghamshire, including the pile at Willetts Lane.

He said: "The scale of this unusual style of flytipping, coupled with the problems of clearance has meant these loads have been on view for much longer than I would have liked."

He explained the crushed, mixed waste which had been dumped had to be analysed to determine its contents so that the right pre-treatment, disposal or recycling methods could be chosen. This had taken longer than anticipated and he was awaiting confirmation of suitable disposal.

But he had good news as well, saying: "While I'm sorry clearance is taking longer than expected, I'm pleased that evidence we've provided to EA has helped towards securing an arrest and vehicle seizures."