A COUNCIL'S festive clean-up has been hailed a success.

The operation targeted 20 villages and towns in the Easington district where 168 tonnes of flytipping material was removed and 1,705 bags of litter collected.

Another five tonnes of waste was collected by the district council's street cleansing team, part of a 100-strong workforce, which helped to carry out the blitz, during which six £50 on-the-spot fines were handed out for dog fouling and litter offences.

In another case, wardens found household items dump-ed on the approach road near the entrance to Dawdon cricket ground. A name and address was collected from the items. After being tracked down, the offender faces a fixed penalty fine.

Graffiti was also removed from areas where vandalism was particularly prominent.

The council believes that flytipping and littering need not be a problem as it provides a number of free services for people to have their bulky waste items removed.

Environmental services manager Colin Huntington said: "People are running the risk of a fine for no good reason. We can arrange special collections that won't cost them anything.

"Flytipping is a problem in the remote areas of the district with the illegal dumping of building rubble, household products and garden waste.

"Not only is it harmful to the environment, it is potentially dangerous to people and wildlife if it is not removed.''

Mr Huntington added: "If anybody witnesses an illegal dumping they can contact Envirocall anonymously on 0191-527 5040. The hotline can even be called to suggest additional litter bins in areas where there is a problem and we will act on that information."