AMBASSADOR Avenue in Cowley 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 the road - 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 - it is highly visible and is 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 nearby 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, city 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."

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

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

This is largely because the clear-up costs depend on the size of the dumped object - and the dumped objects appear to be getting bigger.

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

City councillor 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 anti-social and irresponsible.

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

The Oxford Times this week obtained a map plotting investigations into fly-tipping in the city.

The map, secured following a Freedom of Information request, shows that the city council has formally investigated 158 incidents of illegal dumping in the last 12 months.

Only a fraction of reported cases of fly-tipping are investigated, and very few investigations lead to sanctions of any sort.

Out of the 158 cases investigated, no one has been taken to court. Seven people have received section 46 notices, which can land residents in court if conditions are breached.