FLY-TIPPERS have left the entrance to Jedburgh smelling like a sewage works, it has been claimed.

Community councillor Craig Marshall vented his frustration at this month’s meeting of the Community Council.

He revealed he believes instances of flying tipping are on the increase after the Scottish Borders Council voted to end the green waste collections.

Mr Marshall said: “We’ve got to stop calling it fly-tipping because the people responsible aren’t being fly any more they are just tipping.

“The Jed tip site is growing - it’s beginning to smell like a sewage works - so it’s a really lovely entrance to the town now.

“The town is looking shabby, every place you can dump something there is something, it’s shocking.” Last month a petition was launched calling for the reinstatement of green bin collections in the Borders.

It followed fears that any savings from scrapping the service - to pay for the new food waste bin - would be lost by the cost of sending more garden waste to landfill.

And, so far, the petition has received more than 7000 signatures from all across the region.

At present, residents in Jedburgh unable to compost their garden waste are expected to travel to a recycling centre in Hawick or dump it in their black bins - which are only emptied fornightly.

Community councillor Kevin Hill said Scottish Borders Council should follow the example of Fife Council which, in St Andrew’s recycles its food and garden waste together. And he has written to the local authority with his suggestion.

“I think it was two weeks ago I got in touch.” But he added: “I’m still waiting for a reply from Scottish Borders Council on the matter.”