More than 100 tyres dumped by the roadside in country lanes near Sittingbourne have been cleared by council workers.

Teams from Swale council picked up 118 tyres in Bobbing, Hartlip, Iwade, Lower Halstow and Upchurch last week.

The roads around the villages are among the worst in the county for fly-tipping.

At the end of November last year, a lorry with tyres tumbling off the back of it was caught on CCTV in nearby Yelsted Lane, Stockbury.

Cllr Nicholas Hampshire (Con), Swale council's deputy cabinet member for safer families and communities, warned that people faced being fined for not disposing of waste properly.

He said: "Cleaning up any fly-tipped waste is time-consuming and expensive – and the cost of collecting and disposing of these tyres is ultimately paid for by council tax payers, money that could otherwise be spent in ways that directly benefit residents.

"As well as trying to track down the offenders, we are also encouraging people to think about how they dispose of their waste, including old tyres.

"Anyone – households or businesses - producing waste has a duty to make sure they know who is taking their waste away and that it will be disposed of appropriately.

"Failure to do so could result in a hefty fine.

"Anyone offering to take waste away must be registered to carry it, or it might end up dumped and you could be prosecuted for failing to take reasonable steps in preventing a fly-tipping incident."

Anyone with information about who might have dumped the tyres should call Swale council on 01795 417850.

To check whether someone is licenced to carry waste, visit the Environment Agency website by clicking here or call 03708 506506.

For more information about fly-tipping, and what the council is doing to tackle it, click here.