People were today urged to shop their neighbours in a bid to halt the rising tide of illegal dumping across Oxfordshire, which now has at least 50 hot-spots awash with rubbish left by fly-tippers, writes Mark Templeton. the only way of stopping the problem was if people started blowing the whistle on the dumpers.

Patrick Coulter, head of waste management with Oxfordshire County Council, said: "The difficulty we have is that people do not report either fly-tip sites or people they suspect of doing it.

"Illegal tipping not only makes the place look terrible but there are all sorts of environmental problems associated, such as rubbish being blown about and it attracts vermin. "People may turn a blind eye when they see other people like their neighbours dumping the odd bit of furniture here and there but it all adds up and it has to be stopped." Fly-tippers can be fined up to 20,000 and face two years in prison if convicted under the Environmental Protection Act for depositing waste without a licence.

But there are few prosecutions each year and even when there are, Mr Coulter said there was a reluctance on the part of magistrates to impose heavy fines because it was not viewed as a major offence.

The Environment Agency recently placed tiny CCTV cameras in drinks cans, bricks and other trash to catch offenders in Oxfordshire. A number of prosecutions are pending as a result of the operation. Dorchester and Berinsfield were recently highlighted as being among the worst places for dumping, mainly by travellers. Laybys are other targets, particularly along the Oxford eastern by-pass.

The problem is blamed on the cost of disposing of waste. Landfill taxes and a rise in hire charges for skips now about 100 a day has placed pressure on trades- people.

Much of the rubbish contains chemicals and pollutants which threaten wildlife.

Anyone wanting to report a fly-tipper should call the Environment Agency's 24-hour hotline, 0800 807060.