THE OWNER of a red van is being sought after 77 tyres were dumped in a hedgerow.

Over the last two months 500 tyres have been illegally dumped in the Hambleton district – a 90 per cent rise on previous months.

In the last incident, dozens of tyres were dumped in Parsons Back Lane near Tanton Road in Great Ayton, where officers have also had to recover construction waste.

Hambleton District Council says it is looking for the owner of a red van with a “V” registrations and a homemade roof rack who it believes may have information about the fly tipping near Great Ayton.

It says covert cameras are being deployed across the area to catch the culprits.

“We are determined to crackdown on fly tipping which has become a much bigger issue since charges for tyres and rubble were placed on items taken to household waste recycling centres,” said council spokesman, Councillor Stephen Watson.

“Since August there has been a significant increase in the number of flytipped tyres – going from an average of 20 per month to more than 250 in August and September.

“The tyres may look in a tidy pile now but when we find them they have just been thrown out of the back of a van into the hedgerows.”

Fly tipping incurs a fine of £400 – with early repayment reducing it by £100.