There is anger after a path was covered in rubbish after fly-tippers left a huge pile of litter overnight in Hyndburn.

The tip was in Rishton on the path leading from Rishton to Great Harwood, close to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Daniel Taylor, 33, from Clayton-le-Moors, came across the litter when riding his horses with his wife and children on Wednesday, September 18.

He said: “It was hard work trying to get past it because the horses spook very easily, so it was a bit of a nightmare.

"We did get past, but it was a bit sketchy. I had to get off my horse and try and lead him through which he did with a bit of persuading.

“It is not nice to come across, we could have got hurt. We tried to get past but it could’ve ended differently.”

Councillor Stewart Eaves, portfolio holder for the environmental services, said Hyndburn Council is aware of the fly-tipping and is working to resolve the issue quickly and efficiently.

He said: “Fly-tipping offences directly affect the quality of life of residents and visitors alike, and so the council is committed to enforcing the consequences of these actions in service of shaping a cleaner, healthier borough.

“Our Waste Enforcement and Environmental Protection departments have teamed up to investigate the circumstances and removal of the waste will be scheduled.”

It is currently unclear who is responsible for the fly-tipping.

The site has been used before by tippers and in the past people have set it on fire, and Daniel said it would be better if the council was able to block the path off to drivers.

This came after securing an additional £50,000 government grant for preventative measures and increased fines for fly-tipping perpetrators.

Last year Hyndburn recorded 2,634 incidents of fly-tipping with 338 of these coming on footpaths and bridleways.

Of these, 1,299 were acted on by the council but only one resulted in a fixed penalty notice specifically for fly-tipping.

However, 24 fixed penalty notices were provided with some issued in conjunction with fly-tipping or for household duty of care.

One person on the Real Rishton Facebook page said: “The council should block that road off completely to cars as it is a dead end anyway.

“This would stop all future fly tipping and would save the council thousands in clearances.”

Residents are appealing to anyone with CCTV or cameras in the Bridge Street or Spring Street areas to check if they saw anything suspicious, and report anything to the council.

The incident occurred late on Monday, September 16, or in the early hours of Tuesday, September 17.