Fly-tippers have been told “there is no excuse” after mounds of rubbish including a microwave and a Christmas tree were dumped in a north-east burn.
Just one mile away from Inverugie burn, a mound of wooden pallets, bags of rubbish and a tarpaulin were left next to a field gate.
The mess spilled onto the single track road on Sunday near the Berryhill Driving Range between Inverugie and Blackhills, on the outskirts of Peterhead.
The spate of fly-tipping has left locals shocked, and they have branded the selfish acts “scandalous”.
One said: “There’s no excuse for this, I’ve been to the skip a few times in the last couple of weeks and you can get a slot the same day no problem.”
Another added: “Saw it today – disgusting that folk can do this.”
“Passed this mess today, just no need for it,” said another, while others added that the scenes were “disgraceful”.
In response, David Duguid MP for Banff and Buchan has called for tougher penalties to be introduced to put a stop to the littering.
‘I’m disgusted and appalled’
The MP said he was “disgusted and appalled” to see the rise in fly-tipping in places such as Inverugie.
“Fly-tipping is a scourge on our landscape, leaving unwanted items and waste on land, resulting in landowners having to pay to remove it.
“It can also result in an unfair burden on the taxpayer as it is the council who are often left to clear up the mess.
“It’s completely irresponsible for someone to resort to this simply because they couldn’t be bothered to dispose of items such as a microwave properly when they could have gone to a recycling centre.
“Fly-tipping is a disgrace and action needs to be taken by the SNP Government such as tougher penalties for offenders in a bid to stop this serious situation from escalating further.”
The MP has urged the government to address the problem and has also backed a Scottish Conservative bill in the Scottish Parliament to tackle the “scourge of fly-tipping” by increasing fines and making offenders liable.
The Conservative bill follows repeated calls by the farmers’ union (NFUS) and Scottish landowners for tougher penalties for offenders.
It follows repeated rural fly-tipping which has seen rotting meat, asbestos waste, tyres and increasing loads of household rubbish dumped on farms across Scotland this year.