THE site of an annual funfair in Darwen is being blighted by flytippers.

Residents and councillors are up in arms about mattresses, clothes, cardboard and pillows that have been piling up at the top of Hollins Grove Street, where a travelling funfair has based itself since 2014.

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Sunnyhurst councillor Pete Hollings said that he was astounded that the former railway goods yard had become such an ‘appalling’ state.

He said: “It’s absolutely atrocious. I was in shock when I saw the amount of rubbish.

“It’s the landowner’s responsibility to clean this up as it is private land, but I have sent the photos to Blackburn with Darwen Council. This has been going on for a long time now and I’m not sure what the answer is.”

It is not known who currently owns the site, but in 2008 a planning application was submitted to the borough council by European Thoroughbred Ltd to build 48 houses on the site.

However, despite the plans being approved, the site has remained empty.

The incident is not the only case of flytipping Darwen has suffered from recently, as it was revealed that residents had been leaving kitchen appliances such as cookers, fridges and washing machines in back-alleys and on waste ground last month.

Cllr Paul Browne, who represents the Sudell ward, said this was one of the ‘worst cases’ he had ever seen in the town.

He said: “I think whoever is responsible for this should be prosecuted. People come into the town and all they are going to see is rubbish sites like that, its ridiculous.

“When the fair leaves, the gates don’t get locked and it’s just allowing people to wade in and dump all sorts there.

“There’s mattresses, bricks, plastic, all sorts.

“People who live round there have told me time and again that they’ve reported it, something needs to be done.”

Cllr Jim Smith, borough council environment boss, said: “As it is private land, it is the landowner’s responsibility to clean the mess up.”