Rubbish dumped in Stourton
Three lorry loads of rubbish were dumped on a track in private woodland - leaving the owner with a five-figure clean-up bill.
The tons of commercial pre-sorted rubbish, mainly plastic, was tipped on the track off Bridgnorth Road in Stourton on Tuesday.
A dog walker spotted the fly-tippers, who not only used the rubbish-filled lorries, but also a car to keep watch.
He was chased off by the occupants in the car who came out wearing balaclavas.
The incident was on the opposite side of the road to the Fox Inn.
The land is owned by the Enville Estate.
Assistant estate manager George Williams said: "A friend was walking his dog, he saw a load of rubbish dumped on the track and called up our office.
"He then started going back to his car to get a camera and then saw another lorry heading to the same spot.
"When he returned with his camera a group of men with balaclavas turned on him and chased him off."
Yesterday (Friday), the Environment Agency inspected the rubbish, which will take several weeks to move.
Staffordshire Police was also called to the incident, and is now investigating.
Mr Williams said the estate, which covers 6,500 acres, is targeted by fly-tippers every week. Instances range from a fridge freezer to 34 tons of commercial waste, dumped in 2013.
He said: "I would like to see more cameras in the hot spots and tougher penalties introduced.
"The fines have gone up, but they are still not deterring people from dumping rubbish.
"It is a real frustration for landowners, who are left paying to clear up the waste."
