TONNES of rubble have been dumped on a street on the edge of Bradford city centre in an act of fly tipping described as “ridiculous” by a local Councillor.

The huge pile of rubble was blatantly dumped on a stretch of road that links Filey Street to the car park of the former Yorkshire Building Society building on the corner of Leeds Road and Shipley Airedale Road.

Bradford Council cleared the site after being made aware of the fly tipping, and said officers would scour CCTV footage to try and bring those responsible to justice.

A reporter from the Telegraph & Argus saw the huge pile of rubble, which covers the entire width of the pavement and around half the road, while on another job on Tuesday afternoon. It was not clear how long it had been there

As well as the rubble, which appears to be the remains of a construction project, there was also another example of fly tipping opposite the pile. Fencing around a neighbouring piece of overgrown land appears to have been removed, and branches of felled trees dumped on the land, along with a soiled mattress.

After contacting Bradford Council about the fly tipping, a Council spokesman said: “Officers are currently investigating this incident and are looking at CCTV footage to see if we can identify the criminals responsible for dumping it.”

One of the most shocking things about the fly tipping was that it was not on an isolated country road, but in the city centre, just yards from some of the District’s busiest roads.

Councillor Hassan Khan (Lab, Bowling and Barkerend), said he hoped that the perpetrators were caught, and handed a strong punishment as an example to other criminals.

WATCH: Van used multiple times by fly- tippers is crushed

He said: “It is ridiculous. I can’t believe something like this has happened.

“If there is CCTV footage then I hope officers will take action and set an example to people that if you do something wrong then you will be dealt with.

“It is not like it used to be, there is modern technology out there that makes it easier to find you.

“Someone has obviously targeted this area. This was pre-planned. It is not something that a resident has done, this has been done by a builder.”

The Council has a number of “discreet” portable CCTV units that are placed in fly tipping hot spots, and Cllr Khan hopes some of these are deployed in that area deter future incidents like this. But he added: “The problem is those cameras can only be in a certain place for a certain amount of time.

“We need to send a message out to culprits that we will take action whenever something like this happens.”

In the past year a number of people have been taken to court and fined after being caught fly tipping. Several vehicles identified as having been used for fly tipping have also been seized.

The overgrown land opposite the fly tipping is the site of the former Eastbrook Mill, which was demolished over a decade ago.

In December a planning application for the redevelopment of the site was submitted to Bradford Council. The plans call for around 11 industrial units with 23 parking spaces to be built on the site, with access to the businesses from Filey Street.

Despite the application being submitted over nine months ago, a decision on the plans for the site have not yet been made.

The Council spokesman added: ““Unfortunately, fly-tipping is a nationwide problem which has been increasing for many years.

“The issue blights communities and is upsetting to many residents so the council treats it very seriously.

“We investigate all reported incidents of fly-tipping and try to identify the criminals behind it. If sufficient evidence is gathered, we issue fines and prosecute the most serious cases through the courts. We often seize vehicles known to be involved.

“If rubbish is dumped on Bradford Council land we will clear it up as soon as we can.

“The authority is not responsible for removing rubbish from private land but we do help landowners with removal and prevention advice. If the problem persists, we have the power to compel landowners to remove waste from their land.

“If you witness fly-tipping, please note down as many details as possible, including vehicle licence plate numbers and inform the Council.”

Fly-tipping can be reported by calling 01274 431000 or at bradford.gov.uk.