Piles of rubbish dumped in Dedham after warm weather

The bags of mess were abandoned in Dedham on Wednesday after people flocked to the banks of the River Stour to soak up the sunshine.

The rubbish had been left near the footpath gate leading towards Flatford in a field grazed by the area’s cows.

Last month, a bullock, which had been grazing in the field opposite the Boathouse at Dedham, had to be put down after it was found to have a large amount of plastic blocking its stomach.

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And last year, Colchester Council was forced to step up patrols and clean-ups in the area due to the frequent piles of mess left behind at the site made famous by the artist John Constable.

Colchester councillor Darius Laws condemned the action of the selfish few and said people needed to realise how lucky they were living in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

“It’s absolutely disgusting that we are seeing some people behaving so inconsiderately towards the outstanding natural environment we have,” he said.

“People are in a privileged position to be able to sit there and treat it like a beach because it’s actually a footpath.

Darius Laws

“They need to think carefully and use it sensibly.

“It’s a shame as it’s only a minority doing this but it brings it down for everyone.

“The vast majority of families there enjoying it are going to be blamed for the mess, when it’s actually just a sad handful of individuals who aren’t doing the right thing.”

He added: “I’ll certainly be encouraging the authorities to consider more enforcement and I think education is needed to make people realise the consequences of their actions.

“My message is enjoy it but do so responsibly.

“You have to respect the area and take your litter home with you.”

The incident has seen calls for more bins to be made available in the area, however, Mr Laws argued this solution won’t fully fix the issue.

He added: “The parish council actually asked for a bin to be removed as it was constantly being filled up and then people felt OK to leave their mess next to it instead.

“This was then blowing into the river which isn’t good for the wildlife, nor for the general aesthetics of the area.

“The mess isn’t generated by the cows yet they have to suffer.

“It needs to stop.”