Fly-tipping menace gets worse

Plastic bags full of rotting rubbish, broken furniture, discarded tyres - London's litter mountain just seems to keep growing.

Now we have revisited some of the sites - and found, in many places, that the problem is as bad as ever.

In Muswell Hill, unwanted mattresses, broken armchairs and bin bags are piled high behind a fence in Coppetts Road. A Haringey council sign warns of a maximum fine of £20,000 for dumping - but the rubbish pile is higher than when we last visited in May.

Fly-tipping continues along the North Circular Road. Cardboard boxes, bags of rotting waste and broken chairs can be seen piled under a footbridge in Neasden. In March 2003 the picture was the same.

It is a problem that costs taxpayers in London £5 million a year, according to Keep Britain Tidy, which adds that seven in 10 London boroughs have a "high level" of fly-tipping.

Another blighted spot on the A406 is the access road to the Friern Bridge retail park in New Southgate. In March 2003 there were domestic appliances and sheets of timber. But last month there was an even greater mound of rubbish.

And in west London, Trumpers Way in Hanwell remains an eyesore. Evening Standard had highlighted the problem there in March 2003.