More than 3,200 cases of fly-tipping in the past year have been reported in Swale – the highest in the county.

And statistics released after a Freedom of Information request show the amount spent on clearing up the problem in the borough has risen significantly.

In 2012/13, Swale council spent £33,713 on fly-tipping, compared to £55,256 in 2016/17, when there were 3,243 cases.

Only last week, a large pile of household waste was left in Susans Lane, Upchurch, blocking the road.

The rubbish mountain appeared on Wednesday (September 20) and was cleared by 11am the same day.

Graeme Archer, of Upchurch, said: “This is now simply outrageous that the perpetrators can continue to do this unchecked on our beautiful country lanes.”

Just over a year ago, an entire bathroom was fly-tipped in another road in Upchurch, but it is not a problem unique to the village. Newington, Hartlip, Queenborough and Minster are also regularly targeted.

Across Kent, £323,975.13 was spent on clearing 14,081 incidents in 2016/17, compared to £243,531.18 the previous year.

While the number of incidents has been on the rise, Swale council has been fighting back.

It issued 22 fines for fly-tipping in 2016/17 – the most it has ever given out.

Cllr Alan Horton, cabinet member for safer families and communities, argues that it’s not that there’s a serious problem in Swale, but instead that the council is more efficient at prosecuting offenders.

He said: “We put a high priority on dealing with it and it doesn’t mean we’ve got the worst problem – we’ve just got the most enforcement.

“We’ve made use of the change in legislation, issuing fixed penalty notices for lower level crimes.”

Anyone caught fly-tipping faces a £300 fine, which can go up to a maximum of £2,500 if they fail to pay the fixed penalty notice issued and it ends up going to court.

He added: “That’s a bit more than a little slap on the wrist.”

To report fly-tipping, call Swale council on 01795 417850 or visit swale.gov.uk/fly-tipping