Pat Stanley says fly-tipping is a danger to her cattle

Farmers in the East Midlands say illegal fly-tipping is ruining the countryside and posing a threat to livestock.

Pat Stanley, a Leicestershire farmer, says rubble dumped on her farm near Coalville could seriously injure some of her longhorn cattle.

"Some of the things being dumped, like iron rebar and concrete are very dangerous to livestock," she said.

"We are desperate that something is done before the entire countryside becomes one huge tip."

Tip offs

The Keep Britain Tidy Group says it costs �700,000 a year to clean up the tipped rubbish in the East Midlands.

The group has set up a hotline so anyone who sees the fly-tippers can report them straight away.

Mike Rich of the Keep Britain Tidy Group said: "The main reason people tip rubbish is they think they won't be caught - and with so few prosecutions these days they are probably right.

"We have to get the public involved in the campaign to call in and tip us off so we can take some of these people to court.

John Clunn of Charnwood Borough Council in Leicestershire, said: "We are looking at employing three or four enforcement officers across the county to help enforce anti-litter laws."