A HUGE pile of "hazardous" roofing panels was dumped nearly Burley over the weekend.

The fly-tipped rubbish was discovered at Dur Hill on Sunday and now Forestry England is appealing for information to track down those responsible.

A spokesperson for Forestry England’s New Forest team, said: “Forestry England is appealing for information relating to a fly-tip that was dumped in the forest at Dur Hill, near Burley. A huge pile of hazardous roofing panels and other waste were dumped on Sunday 2 August, in the afternoon.

"We are urging anyone who recognises the old garage or outbuilding to get in touch. It required a large lorry to dump this amount of rubbish, so if anyone saw a lorry driving in the area and has dash-cam footage of the load, please get in touch with us on 0300 067 4601, or via email southern.enquiries@forestryengland.uk. All information provided will be treated in confidence.

"Forestry England has arranged for the waste to be removed, but as it’s a larger than average fly-tip and may contain hazardous material it requires a specialist vehicle to clear it away."

"This recent incident is another example of the lack of respect some people have for the forest, its residents and wildlife. Working together, Forestry England and the local authority investigate fly-tips in an effort to trace it back to the offenders," the spokesperson added.

"Householders and businesses need to be aware of their own responsibilities for making sure their waste is disposed of properly and check the person they are using is licensed to do so. This can be easily checked on the Environment Agency website.”