A man is angry that Bradford Council will not remove a pile of soil dumped near his home.

John Collinson, of Oldfield, Keighley, claims the rubble was dropped by Council contractors at the entrance to an overgrown footpath on Oldfield Lane.

But the Council insists it is not to blame for the fly-tipping and that its extensive investigations have failed to identify who dumped it.

Mr Collinson believes that whether or not the Council is responsible for the pile, it still has a duty to remove it.

Mr Collinson, of Oldfield Lane, said the pile appeared in the summer around the time that work was being carried out at nearby Oldfield Primary School.

He said: “Nobody actually witnessed it being left there. The Council have no interest in doing anything about it. They’re not going to admit it.

“The pile is earth and a few stones. It’s about a metre high by the width of the track, and would fit in a big skip.

“It’s blocking what should be a public right of way. It’s the entrance to an old green lane.”

Several months ago Mr Collinson enlisted the help of Councillor Rebecca Poulsen (Con, Worth Valley).

Coun Poulsen said she had repeatedly been in touch with several Council departments, and they had carried out extensive investigations.

She said: “All parties except Mr Collinson are adamant that it’s not from contractors. There is no proof that contractors have done it.”

Coun Poulsen had asked the rights-of-way department to clear the soil because it provides access to a footpath. But she said: “This one isn’t a priority to clear. There is another footpath nearby that goes on the same route and is better maintained.”

A Council spokesman said officers had asked many people about the possible source of the soil, particularly whether it came from the Oldfield School project.

She said: “The soil was there before any work started on the school. The contractor who carried out the soil stripping is a farmer, and he put it on his land.”