lIllegally dumped rubbish in rural areas is on the rise in Hastings following the Christmas and New Year season and the clean-up is costing ratepayers thousands of dollars.
Hastings District Council's waste minimisation officer, Dominic Salmon, said areas on the fringes of the city appear to be the most popular places for people to dump their rubbish, according to reports the council had received in recent weeks.
"The practice of residents randomly dumping their rubbish on the roadside is becoming greater each year and it's got to stop," he said.
"Not only does it create an eyesore but the cost of cleaning up the mess is borne by our ratepayers."
Incidents of illegal dumping had been cleared recently from Tollemache, Kaiapo and Irongate roads but many other rural roads were regularly being used as rubbish dumps.