WASTE and rubbish left on common land is causing distress for people using the nearby cemetery, who have called the site ‘a disgrace.’

The mess was spotted next to Marlborough Cemetery on land off Free’s Avenue, near The Common.

A skip there is used by Marlborough Town Council for collecting litter, but in the last few weeks other waste including plastic sheeting, a broken metal fence and tree cuttings have been left alongside it.

Dee Atkinson visits the cemetery regularly to visit the graves of her mother and father and believes the town council should remove all the rubbish from the area.

Ms Atkinson, 56, of Melksham, said: “The area where the skip and rubbish are is an absolute disgrace. I do not understand why there has to be a skip there in the first place. This will only encourage people to dump stuff there rather than going to the tip.

“There are huge boulders of concrete, broken walls of bricks, huge piles of soil, large branches and fencing. The positioning suggests they have not been dumped there by the public, but the council.

“This is still common land for all to enjoy, not a disgusting site as we have it now.”

This week following her complaint Marlborough Town Council emptied the skip and have confirmed that they now plan to use one with a lid to contain future waste.

Shelley Parker, town clerk, said: “We are thankful that it was brought to our attention and as a result it was dealt with straight away, but we do have a problem with birds coming and racking through the rubbish and spreading it.

“As a result of this we are now looking into getting a covered skip with a lid and a lock.

“The skip is paid for by the town council to use for rubbish and it is not a place for fly-tipping from the public. It is a town council facility and not for wider use.”