Lorryloads of soil, boulders, bricks, tyres and asbestos have been found dumped in fields – prompting calls for tougher sanctions against fly-tippers.

The mounds of building waste, thought to weigh more than 100 tons, have been discovered in fields near Bogshole Lane, Herne Bay, behind the town’s Sainsbury’s megastore.

Concrete blocks have been placed along the entrance to the route off the A299 New Thanet Way in a bid to prevent lawbreakers from adding to the piles of rubbish on the plot.

Furious Beltinge councillor Ian Stockley believes rogue waste collection companies looking to save costs by disposing of the rubbish illicitly are responsible for the mess.

“I think there’s over 100 tons of builders’ rubble and soil there,” the Conservative said.

“There’s no way this has come out of a car boot. It’s an eyesore and we don’t know what’s in there.

“There’s evidence of asbestos-type sheeting – but we don’t how much is in there – and there could be all sorts of other things buried in that.”

Photographs also show piles of wood and household waste strewn across the fields.

The area is close to the boundary between Altira Business Park and land earmarked for 900 homes by developer Taylor Wimpey. The latter insists the waste-covered plot is not part of its site.

Cllr Stockley expects an application for a traffic order to be lodged with Kent County Council to ensure the blocks can continue preventing access into Bogshole Lane.

“Large lorries getting paid to take the waste away are being opportunistic and dumping stuff in dark corners, instead of paying for it to be disposed of properly,” he added.

“A small fine won’t cut it. If a skip operator is found to be doing this, they should be given a fine of tens of thousands of pounds.

“Unless we step up enforcement, this problem is going to get worse.”

Canterbury City Council spokesman Rob Davies says officers from the local authority will launch an investigation to identify the dumper.

He added: “The land is not owned by us, so it will be the responsibility of the landowner to remove it.”

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