A homeowner in Methven fears asbestos is being dumped yards from his property and poses a health hazard to local children.
Steve Murphy, who lives on Station Road in the Perthshire village, says he has been left in limbo as building waste is being tipped on abandoned land beside his back garden but he does not have the power to remove it.
Mr Murphy said: “At the back of my property, which is attached to my back garden, we have five abandoned sheds but over the years they have become ownerless and no-one seems to know who they belong to.
“Builders and contractors have just been dumping stuff in there for years and white vans have been dumping in the middle of the night.
“This is not in a landfill, this is in a main housing area next to a main road.
“The stuff is just sitting there waiting for a kid and it’s a serious hazard.”
After reporting the problem Mr Murphy said he was visited by an environmental health officer who told him the waste contained asbestos.
He said: “An environmental health officer told me that he was 100% certain because of what was written on the consignment order that it was asbestos.
“He took the order away for evidence.
“I’ve reported this half a dozen times and nobody really seems to do anything about it.
“I’ve asked if I can board it up and was told no because I don’t own it.”
Mr Murphy also reported the tipping to police and gave them the registration plate of a white van involved in the tipping but was told he can’t press charges because he doesn’t own the land.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police Scotland received a report of fly tipping on Sunday February 23 in Methven.
“The matter was referred to the local authority for further action. Officers will give the area passing attention.”
Mr Murphy said he has been reporting the incidents since last November but Perth and Kinross Council says it was only made aware of the tipping this month.
A spokesperson said: “The council received a report on Monday 25 February of the presence of flytipped waste on Station Road, Methven.
“A council officer has subsequently contacted the person who reported the issue.
“We will now be taking steps to confirm the ownership of the land and contact its owner to advise taking appropriate action to have the waste removed.
“The council does not have powers to remove flytipping from private land without the landowner’s permission.
“Should asbestos be present, it must be removed by a licensed contractor on the landowner’s instruction.”
