FED-UP residents in Johnstone have hit out over a rise in illegal dumping near their homes.

Old car seats, prams and high chairs are just some of the items ditched in a burn next to Auchengreoch Road, in Spateston.

Local resident Joe Reilly, who enjoys taking walks next to the burn, said some of the rubbish has been left untouched since last summer.

He told The Gazette: “People seem to automatically blame neds for drinking and flinging away cans but the problem of vandalism is much wider than that.

“I think it may have been a family who dumped this stuff in the burn because much of it is household items. There has been commercial fly-tipping further up the road as well.

“Auchengreoch Road is often busy, with lots of twists and turns, so it’s not a place for vehicles to be stopping to dump things.”

The Gazette: An abandoned commercial fridge in Spateston. Photo taken by Joe Reilly.An abandoned commercial fridge in Spateston. Photo taken by Joe Reilly.

Mr Reilly believes more needs to be done to tackle the factors that lead to people fly-tipping in Renfrewshire.

He said: “Even though this is not a new development here, it has definitely been increasing since the start of lockdown.

“It’s probably a shorter distance for most people to drive to a dump than to drive here, so I’ve no clue why they are doing this, other than laziness.

“However, I think it could also be due to a cutback in affordable places to dispose of domestic and commercial rubbish. Councils should be making it easier and more affordable to dispose of waste.”

Lewis Nesbitt, chair of the Spateston Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, added: “It is such a shame to see fly-tipping in a part of Renfrewshire which has has scenery only to be marvelled at.

“We are deeply concerned that people use our areas of natural beauty to dispose of their want-nots.

“Unfortunately, the community just doesn’t have the resources to tackle this issue alone. We liaise closely with Renfrewshire Council on this.”

Renfrewshire Council has asked residents to report any fly-tipping incidents.

A spokesperson said: “Fly-tipping is selfish, illegal and damaging to our environment.

“This instance of fly-tipping is on private land and we are writing to the landowners to arrange for its removal as soon as possible.”