A mother is appealing to fly-tippers to stop making parts of central Reading look like 'a rubbish heap' after lazy litterers blocked the entrance to a children’s play area.

Maria Trevis said she feels like she’s ‘drowning in rubbish’ due to constant fly-tipping in Victoria Park and its surrounding areas.

The last straw was last Thursday, when fly-tippers left mounds of rubbish in George Street, blocking the entrance to the park used by her nine-year-old daughter.

“It’s deeply frustrating because you don’t want to live in front of a rubbish heap,” she said.

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Ms Trevis described how landlords and residents alike have dumped everything from microwaves to household waste in the area.

Reading Chronicle: Fly-tipping in George StreetFly-tipping in George Street

“We have constant fly-tipping and it’s really quite distressing because it feels like we’re drowning in rubbish.

She continued: “It’s a complex issue. It’s partly because it’s a very high density area, it’s partly because landlords don’t take responsibility to dispose of their waste.

“It’s partly an impact of us living in an area of deprivation and the cost of disposing of things.”

She described how she confronted two men dumping mops and other cleaning equipment, who were “entitled” and “shocked” to be challenged.

“A lot of it appears in the mornings which would suggest people dump their rubbish overnight as they know it’s not right.”

The fly-tip pictured on George Street has since been removed by the Reading Borough Council, but a new pile of someone’s old bedframe appeared there on Wednesday.

Reading Chronicle: Microwaves, household waste and cardboard boxes are dumped outside Victoria ParkMicrowaves, household waste and cardboard boxes are dumped outside Victoria Park

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A spokesperson for the council said: “The council has a zero tolerance policy on fly tipping.

“We would encourage residents to report any incidences of fly tipping so the waste can be investigated.”

The council issued 35 fixed penalty notices for dumped waste in September up to a maximum of £400.

“We also prosecute offenders, where the maximum penalty could be 5 years custodial sentence and/or an unlimited fine if prosecuted in Crown Court. One of our latest prosecutions, the fine was £1000.”

“We have also invested in mobile CCTV which is deployed at fly-tipping hotspots, which has provided evidence leading to the issue of fixed penalty notices to those responsible and a number of prosecutions.”