Even before household waste sites went on to part-time opening, fly-tipping incidents in the district have doubled.

St Albans council has revealed that in January 2014 there were 29 incidents of fly-tipping which had increased to 68 in January 2015.

January was the first month that the county council introduced two day a week closures at a number of household waste sites across the county, including at St Albans Road, Sandridge, and Dark Lane, Harpenden.

The St Albans site closes on Tuesday and Wednesday and Harpenden is shut on Thursday and Friday. Opponents of part-time opening warned that it would lead to an increase in flytipping.

Clearing up after fly-tipping in 2014-15 cost the district council £35,000 and it is working with police and neighbouring authorities to catch people dumping rubbish.

A report to cabinet was told that the increase was largely due to tyres being dumped in the district - a problem which is in line with the situation nationally.

In the last two years, the council has successfully prosecuted three fly-tippers and is currently pursuing a prosecution in a further case.

It is appealing for help from the public to try and curb the problem.

Portfolio holder for the environment, Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, said: “Fly-tipping is a selfish and sometimes dangerous act which spoils our beautiful Hertfordshire countryside and has the potential to cause long term damage to the environment.

“If you see anyone fly tipping, please make a note of the vehicle details and report the incident as soon as possible. You can also help us by ensuring that your waste is disposed of properly, but do not put yourself at risk.”

He went on: “All householders and businesses have a duty of care to ensure their waste is transferred only to authorised persons. You can check authorisation on the Environment Agency website. It is a priority of this council not only to deal with the consequences of fly-tipping, but to identify perpetrators and prosecute them.”

Anyone spotting somebody dumping waste is asked to make a note of their vehicle details and ring 999 if the crime is in progress or the non-emergency number 101 if it isn’t.

If you come across fly-tipped waste, call the hotline 1727 819598 or email the details to a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk.

Taking photos of dumped waste could help in any prosecution.