Rubbish bags with needles dumped

Thirty black bags of rubbish contained needles, the council said

A man dumped 30 black bags of rubbish containing needles in an "appalling" case of fly-tipping in east Kent, Thanet council has said.

The man used a child's pushchair to transport the bags to the Cliftonville site, and wore yellow rubber gloves.

Councillor Shirley Tomlinson said a member of the public saw him dumping the waste on Wednesday morning.

Council officers are now searching through CCTV footage to try to identify the man, she said.

The bags were left at the junction of Ethelbert Gardens and Ethelbert Road.

If we are able to identify this man, then we will take action Shirley Tomlinson

Mrs Tomlinson said a community warden went to the area immediately, but the man had already gone.

"This case is absolutely appalling and if we are able to identify this man, then we will take action against him," she said.

And she added: "Unfortunately, although this is on a much bigger scale than we are used to, dumping rubbish is a major problem in Thanet and particularly in Cliftonville West."

A crackdown was already under way, with officers out and about on a daily basis, she added.

The bags were removed by the council's waste and recycling team.