A TRACTOR will have to be brought in to help remove a huge pile of rubbish which has been dumped in the Hampshire countryside.

The waste, which includes white goods, a vacuum cleaner and large pieces of plastic, has been found on land behind homes in Tristan Close, Calshot.

Hampshire police and New Forest District Council have launched an investigation in a bid to catch the culprits.

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A council spokesman said one of its own vehicles would be used to clear the rubbish, which included items such as fridge-freezers as well as wood, paper and garden waste.

Ward councillor Alexis McEvoy said: “It’s very disappointing that some people think they have a right to despoil the New Forest.

“Fly-tippers may think it’s clever to dump their rubbish and save themselves some money but other council tax-payers have to pick up the bill.”

The waste was discovered by a police community support officer.

Photographs of the rubbish have been posted online, with police urging people to “rat on a rat” by coming forward with information.

It is the latest in a spate of incidents involving fly-tipping, many of which have resulted in offenders blighting beauty spots across the Forest.

Asbestos, industrial pipes and a washing machine are among the items that have been dumped in remote, unlit locations – often under the cover of darkness.

Last year a man was fined £400 after he was seen leaving a Forestry Commission car park covered in rubble and household rubbish.

Daily Echo:

Members of Hampshire Constabulary’s Country Watch team passed the details to the council, which traced the owner of the flat-bed vehicle involved.

Speaking at the time, the cabinet member for environment, Cllr Alison Hoare, said: “Illegally dumping waste in the New Forest damages our environment and poses a risk to people and wildlife.”

A Forestry Commission spokesman added: “The cost of removing fly-tips is considerable.”