RECENTLY, I have become increasingly aware of the menace of fly tipping. I was posting a notice on a village notice board in Bulkington when a workman dressed in hard hat and conspicuity tabard approached me and asked if I lived locally.

I explained that I lived in a neighbouring village and asked why he asked. He told me that he had just witnessed a lady in a car trying to fly tip three bags he assumed to be rubbish in a ditch.

The workman thought that the middle aged and well dressed lady probably mistook him for a council employee and was spooked into retrieving the bags and driving off at speed in a small family car.

I asked him if he had recorded the car registration number and unfortunately he had failed to do so.

This was why he hoped I was local and could perhaps identify the woman from his description. This happened in broad daylight and we agreed that the lady would probably wait until dark and then try again.

More recently, I was required to use a quiet rural road near Westbury and came across a pile of waste by the roadside that included a filthy double mattress. This was clearly a case of fly tipping, the illegal disposal of waste, and the amount involved would have needed a van or small lorry to carry it to that remote location.

Even more recently, on a journey that took me into Gloucestershire, I stopped my car in a lay-by and was appalled to see a heap of waste that was clearly another example of fly tipping. Most of the considerable quantity of tipped material was straw and it appeared to be mixed with excrement from an animal. Again, it would have needed a lorry rather than a car to transport such a large amount to the location.

Equally, those given the task of cleaning it up would have required a lorry and a fair amount of time too.

I understand that fly tipping is a problem causing concern to local councils throughout the country because it is rapidly increasing. There has to be a reason for this and money is sure to be at the root of it.

There is evidence that much of the fly tipping is done by people doing it as an illicit business. The lady described earlier is an example of the domestic fly tipper. This type of offender is less common but still on the increase.

The message given out by local councils is to ensure that whoever you employ to remove waste and dispose of it is doing so legally. On the internet you can obtain a list of contractors registered to dispose of waste legally.

Wiltshire Council, in common with other councils, is taking the scourge of fly tipping seriously and 35 cases of fly tipping were taken to court in 2015. Additionally, 60 offenders were issued with on-the-spot fines.

There is also a concerted effort at national and local level to encourage the public to be on the lookout for fly tippers and to report anything suspicious that they see. There is a UK Government website that can be used to report fly tipping and the information placed on it will be passed to the appropriate local council.

More immediate notification of fly tipping activity is available in Wiltshire using a Wiltshire Council smart phone app called My Wiltshire. The report can be made anonymously.

I am now alerted to do my bit in the fight against fly tippers.