A litter picker has said she is "shocked" and "disgusted" after finding more than 40 bags of rubbish dumped down a lane in Barham, near Ipswich.

Sharon Rudd and her husband Bob do regular litter picks near their home in Rede Lane, as do their neighbours.

But on the afternoon of New Year's Eve, Mrs and Mr Rudd were "shocked at the sight" of a huge pile of fly-tipped waste, including multiple closed black binbags.

Just the previous Sunday, December 27, the couple picked up a microwave, pillows, a mattress protector, a wine rack, part of an exhaust and many empty cans.

They have reported the fly-tipping to the district council through the website.

Mrs Rudd, a teaching assistant said: "People are making money out of that kind of fly-tipping, but how are people so lazy?

"You book an appointment now at the tip and all you have got to do is get rid of your rubbish."

The couple have made an appointment at the dump to clear the rubbish from Sunday, Mrs Rudd adding that her husband has a van and they didn't want the mess left there.

She said the fly-tipping on New Year's Eve happened during the day, between 10am and 2pm.

"I just don't know how they had the gall to do it in the day," she added. "It's like someone has cleared something somewhere and just dumped it."

Mrs and Mr Rudd have been litter picking in their lane since moving there about two-and-a-half-years ago, while their neighbours have been doing it for some time.

In 2020, Mrs Rudd said rubbish discovered there included nappies, bottles filled with various liquids and used gloves and face masks.

"We pay our council tax, and it's not what the council should be having to do," she said.

The Babergh and Mid Suffolk council website says dumping waste on any land that doesn't have an Environmental Permit, or allowing others to do so on your behalf, is a criminal offence. Culprits could face very large fines and even be sent to prison.

"Apart from being an eyesore, fly-tipping can lead to serious pollution of land and waterways, blight our countryside and open spaces, increase fear of crime, and harm wildlife and human health," the website said.

The council and the Environment Agency are responsible for clearing up or investigating fly-tipping on public land, but on private land it is the responsibility of the landowner.