This is officially Oxford's most fly-tipped road - and lazy shoppers have been blamed.

Between April and September this year, 122 incidents of illegal dumping were recorded in Ambassador Avenue in Cowley - almost one a day.

But what makes the location so strange is that it is the link road between the Eastern Bypass and Oxford Retail Park - highly visible and even equipped with a mini-recycling centre.

Oxford City Council, which has been monitoring the site for more than a month, believed people were arriving to do their weekly shopping at Tesco - and dumping unwanted waste at the same time.

The situation has now got so bad, the council has teamed up with colleagues at County Hall to install covert CCTV cameras in the hope of catching those responsible and prosecuting them.

David Walker, council street scenes manager, said: "This happens because people can't be bothered to go to Redbridge. We pick up washing machines, televisions, three-piece suites, beds and trade waste.

"It's just laziness, people can't be bothered because somebody else will clean up the mess."

Other dumping 'hotspots' identified by the Town Hall are behind Tesco in Union Street, off Cowley Road, and behind the Somerfield supermarket in Headington.

In residential areas, parts of Blackbird Leys, Greater Leys and Littlemore are known for being so-called grot-spots.

Year-on-year, incidents of fly-tipping in Oxford have decreased, yet the cost of clearing up the mess has risen.

This is because the clear-up costs depend on the size of the dumped object.

Between April and September, the city council recorded 1,740 incidents (compared with 1,917 last year) with the clean-up costing £83,000, compared to £78,000 in 2005.

Clearing up after illegal dumpers currently costs taxpayers about £227 a day.

Jean Fooks, executive member for a cleaner city, said: "Washing machines can be collected for free, but it seems these people can't be bothered to take their mess to Redbridge - it's antisocial and irresponsible.

"If people are caught, we will definitely prosecute. The fact it's next to a recycling centre just adds insult to injury."

On Monday, the Oxford Mail revealed how fly-tipping was continuing to blight the city - despite a wave of warning notices being issued to those responsible for dumping.

However, in the past year not a single individual has been prosecuted for fly-tipping.

* The city council's street cleaning arm City Works offers a free pick-up service for those wanting to dispose of bulky goods, like washing machines, sofas and beds (limited to three items). Call 01865 252936 for more details.