Fly-tippers are turning Sheppey into a "horror island" according to officials who blame councillors for charging people to dump their waste.

Piles of tyres, carpets, mattresses, electrical cable and black rubbish sacks were found dumped at Cromwell Road, West Minster, earlier this month.

It came just days after Kent County Council announced it was planning more restrictions for taking rubbish to its tip in Station Road, Sheerness.

Sheerness Town Team chairman Brian Spoor said: “It is becoming a nightmare.

“Doesn’t the county council realise the more obstacles it puts in the way of genuine homeowners, the more fly-tipping is likely to happen. It’s not rocket science.

“People are running out of places where they can take rubbish for free. It is turning Sheppey into a horror island.”

KCC wants to charge £4 for every bag of rubble, up to a limit of five a day.

It currently limits homeowners to 90kg of rubble a day (about 33 bricks) and charges £2.50 for each tyre up to a total of five.

Those with plasterboard must take it to Sittingbourne’s tip in Gas Road, Milton, where the council is planning to introduce a charge of £6 a sheet.

KCC says the fees will cover the cost of disposal.

Yet council officers predict it could make a profit of £2 million.

County Cllr Rory Love, from Folkestone, warned: “If we charge people a little for doing the right thing, they might do the right thing. But if we charge people a lot, they won’t.”

KCC says the fees will stop residents from Bromley and Surrey using Kent’s tips for free.

In a separate incident, two men were arrested for allegedly fly-tipping garden waste in a farmer’s field.

A police spokesman said: “A farmer from Sheppey called after detaining two males in a van who had been dumping waste on his land. Officers attended and the offenders were detained.

“The local authority will be carrying out a prosecution. This is an example of just how effective partnership working can be.”

More rubbish, including a mattress, pillows, carpets, door and supermarket trolley, was abandoned in a Sheerness alley at the weekend.

A Swale council spokesman said: "Cromwell Road is a large fly tip we are currently investigating and had scheduled for clearing.

"If anyone has information to help us find who dumped it, they can call us on 01795 417 850."