ENVIRONMENT bosses have pledged to clean up an “eyesore” flytipping site along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Disgusted residents in the Bank Hall area of Burnley said they were “ashamed’”after mattresses and household waste were dumped by the waterway, off Colne Road.

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Now, the Canal and River Trust has promised to help tidy the “grot spot” after the Lancashire Telegraph pointed out the problem.

Kelly Higgins, who lives in Colne Road, slammed those responsible and said confusion over who owned the plot of land had previously prevented clean-ups from going ahead.

She said: “This is piled up nearly as high as a van. People just think it’s spare ground for waste, with no consideration for us who have to live next to it.”

An arts project designed to attract more visitors to the canal was awarded £2 million in 2013 and the third Burnley Canal Festival is due to take place this August, both designed to make the most of the waterway.

Chantelle Seaborn, waterway manager at the Canal and River Trust, said: “Fly-tipping, wherever it occurs, is unsightly and inconsiderate. What a pity public enjoyment of the beautiful Leeds and Liverpool canal in Burnley is being spoilt by a few inconsiderate people.

“After the Lancashire Telegraph contacted us, Trust waterway staff went to investigate this particular site and were disgusted by what they saw.

“We will be working with Burnley Council and the Environment Agency to understand the source of the problem. Fly-tipping is illegal and the culprits need to know they could face hundreds of pounds worth of fines.

“We will be contacting the council’s environmental enforcement team who have the power to investigate and prosecute fly-tippers.”

Earlier this month, Burnley Council and the Community Payback programme held a spring clean-up which saw numerous black bags filled with rubbish found on the canal’s footpaths.

Joanne Swift, head of the council’s Streetscene team, said: “The council has referred this issue to the Canal and River Trust and we will work with them to clean up this area. However it requires the use of the Trust’s clean up barge.

“This is a limited resource that has to cover the full 127-mile length of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and so any work has to be programmed in to its busy timetable.”