EVERYTHING but the kitchen sink appears to have been dumped on Ledbury bypass, in a bad case of fly tipping.

Ledbury police have reported the incident to Herefordshire Council, and have also posted an image of the rubbish in Twitter.

Most of the rubbish appears to be domestic, including kitchen chairs and a kitchen table, not to mention assorted burst bags.

A Herefordshire Council officer was set to visit the bypass on Thursday morning, to inspect the rubbish and look for clues as to who might be responsible.

Under UK law, there is a fixed penalty notice for fly-tipping of £300, but extreme offenders can be prosecuted in court, which may lead to a prison sentence of five years and a maximum fine of £50,000.

PC Lyn Johnson, at Ledbury Station said: "We don't have a massive issue in Ledbury with fly tipping, but it does happen, and it doesn't tend to happen in town, but along country lanes.

"In the past it used to be garden waste, but now it tend to be domestic waste."

PC Johnson added: "Herefordshire Council is usually very good at clearing it away."

In a statement on fly-tipping Herefordshire Council warns it will " take action against any householder or business who illegally disposes of their waste or does not ensure that their waste is collected by a registered waste carrier".

The statement adds: "Dumping waste on any land where there is no waste management licence is a criminal offence."

The council also has advice for anyone wishing to report fly tipping.

Members of the public should not approach fly-tippers directly but should make a note of any vehicle used, including model, colour and registration number.

Witnesses should note the fly tippers' clothes and distinguishing features; take note of anything which was said, along with the speakers' accents; and make a note of what they dumped, the location, the weather conditions and how far they were away at the time.

Finally, anyone wishing to report fly tipping can contact Herefordshire Council directly on 01432 261761.