Fly-tippers dump massive lorryload of rubbish outside local wildlife charity and Kibworth Town Football Club

The offenders have been branded “vile and despicable” after they dropped the building waste on the track just yards from the animal and bird refuge.

The wildlife centre, a local charity, was forced to fork out £400 to have the pile removed by Harborough District Council.

Harriet Childs, a team leader at Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital on Fleckney Road, Kibworth, told the Harborough Mail: “It’s just horrible.

“This is a big blow and another real kick in the teeth as we try to start the New Year on the front foot.”

She insisted: “We’ve had to pay the council £400 to remove this enormous ugly eyesore.

“We are a charity and that’s vital money we could have spent on looking after our record number of 300 hedgehogs.

“We also have dozens of birds and other creatures which need looking after – we’re all absolutely furious.”

Harriet said the staggering late-night flytipping ‘attack’ happened at the end of last week.

“One of my colleagues was driving in at about 7am last Friday morning when she came across it.

“There was so much trash, from bricks to cardboard boxes to other building stuff, that she couldn’t even get through to see to our patients,” she said.

“We suspect it might have been a house clearance because it looks like it may have all come from the same property.

“It’s vile and despicable, a horrible thing to do.

“We have a perfectly good council tip and recycling centre five minutes away on the A6.

“But they won’t go there and do the decent thing because they’d have to pay.

“The police say this is a civil offence.

“But this is a crime against the environment and the countryside as well as a crime against us and needs investigating.”

Harriet said it’s the fourth time in the last year that they’ve been targeted by flytippers.

“We were hit three times last year when similar loads were dumped here – and now again already in 2020.

“It’s unbelievably heartbreaking,” she said.

“But we have got names and addresses off cardboard boxes that were dumped.

“They’re from the Birstall area of Leicester.

“So we’ve handed those over to the council and let’s hope they can act.

“We’ve also had eight bird feeders stolen as well.

“We might have to look at setting up CCTV cameras to guard the track.

“But it’s outrageous that we’ll have to shell out more money on security that could go towards caring for our many patients.”

If you would like to support the wildlife hospital in their hour of need then please visit their JustGiving website:

https://www.justgiving.com/leicestershirewildlifehospital

James Harbidge, secretary of Kibworth Town FC, said: “It affects us too but I feel really sorry for the wildlife hospital.

“They’re a charity battling to do their best.

“But their staff and volunteers have got to put up with this sort of disgusting incident.

“It’s totally wrong people can do this and think they can get away with it.”

He said they had taken names and addresses off Amazon and Yodel boxes.

“These are recent deliveries since Christmas.

“We just hope the council can track down the culprits and take action,” said James, who said they now have 560 players and 40 teams at the growing club.

A Harborough council spokesman said: “The council has now removed this flytipping rubbish.

“We are investigating this incident to try to establish who might be responsible for disposing of this rubbish illegally.”

A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said: “Flytipping is a civil matter and will be dealt with by the council not us.”