A dog owner has challenged Highland Council to take fly tipping more seriously after his pet was seriously injured by fly-tipping left dumped in the street. .
Ivor Manson, from Thurso, said in spite of writing to the council a month ago – asbestos is now spilling onto the road.
He has also had to pay a huge vet bill, for his dog Storm, because people are dumping items regularly in the Caithness town.
The pet needed stitches after its chest was “ripped open” after it got caught on the rubbish.
Highland Council has stressed it does takes fly-tipping seriously with fines of up to £20,000 for offenders.
Fly-tipping concerns growing in Thurso
Mr Manson said the scale of the tipping was causing a health hazard around garages in the Royal Terrace area.
Describing Highland Council’s response to his concerns as “as much use as a chocolate fireguard”, he said he was still waiting for a response from the local authority.
Mr Manson said: “My dog got his chest ripped open on the pieces of tin at the backs of these garages and ended up with a lot of stitches.
“And I ended up with a hefty vet bill for the damage caused by fly tipping.
“Highland Council has not been taken this matter seriously enough. A month on and the asbestos has now been run over by cars and causing a hazard to children adults and pets.
“They seem to think that this mess is OK to leave at the garages at Royal Terrace.
One man commenting on Mr Manson’s social media post said the asbestos is now an airborne dust hazard, suggesting there was a risk to local residents.
Others raised concerns about the children who played around the garages on Royal Terrace, saying she was worried that they might be harmed.
A Highland Council spokeswoman said: “Anyone who witnesses or finds fly tipping can report it to Highland Council by phoning the service centre 01349 886603 or by using the 24/7 online reporting form at www.highland.gov.uk/report
“Fly tipping can also be reported to Dumb Dumpers at Zero Waste Scotland www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/DumbDumpers.
“Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of waste. The council provides 21 recycling centres and more than 200 recycling banks and across the Highlands.
“We also work with social enterprise groups which help deliver recycling services and organisations which help promote waste prevention.
“They work with households and communities to raise awareness and encourage people to prevent waste from being created in the first place, as well as promoting the benefits of reusing, recycling and composting.
“Where fly-tipping is on private land the council will investigate, along with SEPA, but we do not remove items from private land.
“We can issue fines from £200 to £20,000 or the offender can receive six months in prison, up to five years if hazardous waste is dumped.”
Conversation