AN increase in fly-tipping has forced Malvern Hills District Council to step up its litter patrols across the town.

Incidents of fly-tipping have increased by more than 100 per cent since last year with 212 cases reported to the Council since October last year.

High costs of waste disposal and skip hire has been cited as one of the causes of the problem but Paul Sobczyk, head of client services, said it remains a mystery as to why people dump household waste.

"The county council offer free household waste services and we offer a service where for 50p people can buy a special plastic sack for waste such as grass cuttings and it will be taken away with their normal rubbish," he said.

The Council runs a litter patrol to deal with abandoned rubbish but Mr Sobczyk said it was considering offering a "bulky waste" service to deal with the problem.

Coun John Tretheway said Malvern Wells Parish Council had received complaints about dumped litter down Old Wyche Road.

"You could say that the people who do this sort of thing are just too bone idle to take their rubbish to the tip but at the end of the day somebody has to clear it up at the local authority's expense," he said.

"I think it's a matter of public education, it's like the dog mess issue, and we want to get the message across that we don't want fly-tipping on the Malvern Hills," said Coun Tretheway.