ILLEGALLY-dumped waste in Oxfordshire has soared by a staggering 60 per cent in a year, an average of 16 incidents a day.

Fly-tipping is now such a problem that teams of council enforcement officers are acting on public tip-offs and conducting covert surveillance to catch the worst offenders.

Now they have issued another appeal for help in catching the culprits.

New figures collected by the Environment Agency show that in 2004/05 there were 3,689 fly-tipping incidents in Oxfordshire, but in 2005/06 there were 5,910 incidents, costing taxpayers nearly £280,000 to clean up.

There is no charge for disposing of household waste, but fees are levied for the safe dumping of commercial and hazardous waste.

Those convicted of fly-tipping face a maximum fine of £50,000 and imprisonment.

Mark Leonard, Oxfordshire County Council's waste enforcement officer, said: "If there is a 60 per cent increase in fly-tipping that's a problem and it's one we are taking seriously.

"Councils are working together and doing their best on fly-tipping.

"There is no question of councils only paying lip service.

"We are working in partnership with the public and we need them to be our eyes and ears so that we and the Environment Agency can better clamp down on this menace.

"There is also a great deal that the public can do to protect themselves and the environment.

"If we all make proper checks on anyone we employ to work on our homes or businesses, this will stop the small number of criminals that pass themselves off as tradesmen dumping our waste illegally."

Trading standards officer Richard Staveley said: "It's not a good idea to employ tradesmen who knock on your door offering to do things like Tarmacing, paving, roofing or landscape gardening work.

"All too often the work offered by such traders, if carried out at all, is unnecessary, expensive and of poor quality.

"It may even cost you more money to have the work put right.

"We need the public to help us and themselves.

"If people make proper checks on anyone they employ to work on their homes or businesses, this will help to prevent them from being ripped off and reduce incidents of fly tipping by irresponsible traders."