A brazen fly-tipper has dumped approximately 50 bin bags of insulation material behind a Bournemouth church, just minutes away from a council recycling centre.
The waste was discovered strewn along a country lane behind St Andrew's Church in Kinson, despite the Bournemouth Recycling Centre being only a five-minute drive away.
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The bags, believed to be from a commercial business, have left local residents outraged.
Local resident Malcolm Jeffries, 80, reported the incident to the council on Wednesday after discovering the waste at around 3pm.
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"It is just horrific that this has happened right by a food bank and a nature reserve. It is just unbelievable that people have the nerve to do it," said Jeffries, a retired retail business owner.
He described it as the "worst case" of fly-tipping he had ever seen, calling it "disgusting."
The dumped waste has created significant disruption, limiting access to a local food bank as split bags scatter foam across the narrow lane.
The site of the fly-tipping sits adjacent to Millhams Mead Nature Reserve, an area with a troubled history of waste disposal.
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"It is obvious to me that it was someone who had done a contract job and just left their rubbish there because it was easier," Jeffries explained.
Despite a BCP council van visiting the site, the bags remained on the roadside two days after being reported.
The fly-tipping appears particularly senseless as insulation material can be disposed of free of charge at the recycling centre, with no restrictions on weight or amount.
While commercial waste typically incurs fees of up to £200 per tonne at council facilities, this particular material would have cost nothing to dispose of properly.
The incident comes amid controversy over BCP Council's fly-tipping policies, with recent cases drawing public criticism.
Last year, a Bournemouth mother was fined £500 for leaving an Ikea cabinet outside her house as a freebie, while a Christchurch resident faced the same penalty for temporarily storing cut-up doors by his gate.
The council is now considering reducing fines for 'freebie flytippers' to £300 for residential cases and £600 for serious obstructions.
Kinson councillor Duane Farr expressed dismay at the incident, stating: "It's just heart-breaking to see the mess left, especially in an area of natural beauty near Millhams Nature Reserve."
The councillor remains hopeful that surveillance footage may identify those responsible, having previously worked with Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick to fund CCTV installation in the church car park area.
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