Anger over fly-tipping at Brockenhurst, Burley and Lyndhurst

The illegal dumping took place in public car parks at Matley Wood, near Lyndhurst, Wootton Bridge in Brockenhurst, and Burbush, near Burley.

Similar fly-tipping is said to have occurred at Curdridge and other locations across Hampshire.

Villagers are hoping the number of mattresses involved - and their identical design - will make it easier to discover where they came from.

The dumping has sparked outrage on social media.

One person posted: "There must be a reasonable sized 'job' where there are many mattresses to dispose of. It has occurred several times recently."

Another added: "Someone must know something. Same mattresses - colour etc. It's a bit of a coincidence."

• Fine issued after fly-tipping in the New Forest
• Household waste, children's toys and part of a car dumped in Bramshaw

The mattresses fly-tipped in the New Forest will be removed by Forestry England, which manages the Crown land in the district.

A spokesperson said: "Dumping waste in this way sadly reflects the lack of respect some have for this special landscape.

“We urge all householders and businesses to be aware of their own responsibilities for making sure their waste is disposed of properly, and to ensure they check the person they are using is licensed to do so, by using the Environment Agency website.

“We have arranged for the mattresses to be removed, a costly exercise given the scale of the fly-tip, and diverting precious resources away from looking after the Forest.”

David Harrison, a New Forest councillor and a member of the national park authority, said he was shocked at the scale of the fly-tipping.

He added: "Where have they come from? Not the sort of thing you find in the average house. I'd love to see them returned to the owner and the offender prosecuted."

In a separate incident, mattresses and other objects were dumped at Kewlake Lane, Bramshaw - scene of several similar incidents in the past.

Anyone with information about the Brockenhurst, Burley and Lyndhurst fly-tips can contact Forestry England on 0300 067 4601 or via email southern.enquiries@forestryengland.uk.