The problem of fly-tipping in and around Midsomer Norton will be a council priority in 2020.

Many local councils across the UK have called for tougher financial penalties for those who are caught tipping.

The Local Government Association is leading calls for bigger fines for those who leave rubbish by the sides of roads and in lay bys. The maximum fine for fly-tipping is £50,000 and up to five years in prison, but according to figures from the Association, the vast majority, 83 per cent, of the court-imposed fines in the last six years were below £500.

BANEs Councillor David Wood, joint cabinet member for Climate Emergency and Neighbourhood Services, said: "Fly-tipping is one of my personal bugbears. Our communities should not have to put up with the mess dumped by a small number of lazy people. We use the current £400 fixed penalty fine for fly-tipping where appropriate, but where fly-tipping occurs on a larger scale then we will always seek evidence to prosecute through the courts. "

He is encouraging residents to share footage or evidence of offences with the council so that they can investigate further.

The councillor added: " We are currently developing our enforcement strategy to prioritise identifying and prosecuting offenders throughout the coming year. We support any call for government funding to help us fund investigations, which can often be complex and time consuming."

Midsomer Norton residents can report any fly- tipping and rubbish issues via the red button below.