Mounds of cardboard boxes have been piled up outside a recycling centre in London as dozens across Britain are closed in an effort to halt the spread of coronavirus.  

Photographs taken in a Sainsbury's car park in Richmond, south west London today show packaging stacked next to four overflowing 'mixed paper and card' banks. 

Many of the boxes were from Amazon, perhaps owing to a surge in online shopping for exercise equipment, beauty products and loungewear amid the nationwide lockdown - which entered its fourth week yesterday.

The images come as fly-tipping has surged by up to 300 per cent in some areas after local authorities opted to close recycling sites amid the global health crisis.






Photographs taken in a Sainsbury's car park in Richmond, south west London today show cardboard boxes stacked next to three overflowing 'mixed paper and card' banks


The Countryside Alliance said it had received concerns from Burnley, County Durham, Winchester and Essex about the crime, with data from waste dumping reporting app ClearWaste also suggesting fly-tipping is up 76 per cent overall.

Some London boroughs have faced a 100 per cent rise in the crime, the Telegraph reported.     

Recycling centres have been closed across much of London, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire amid the pandemic, as councils attempt to slow the spread of the deadly virus. 






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But it has been suggested some people are simply dumping rubbish outside the locations when they arrive to discover the sites are closed. 

One council said the amount of waste dumped in this manner has gone up 'three fold', with West Oxfordshire District Council urging its residents and businesses not to dump waste in communal recycling areas.






Pictured: A fox roams past a stack of discarded cardboard boxes near a mixed paper and card bank







The images come as fly-tipping has surged by up to 300 per cent in some areas after local authorities opted to close recycling sites amid the global health crisis


Cllr Norman MacRae, cabinet member for the environment, said: 'While we have some sympathy with residents who may have quantities of waste building up, we must emphasise that for everyone's safety please refrain from dumping it in public spaces.

'This places an unnecessary additional workload on our cleaning teams and is not acceptable at any time let alone the current coronavirus situation.

'The law has not changed and anyone caught fly-tipping will face prosecution and a large fine.'

A spokesman for the council added: 'We have not calculated the exact tonnage data as yet but we can say we have seen a threefold increase in items at key sites which is forcing us to carry out additional collections with a dedicated crew and truck.'     






Many of the boxes were from Amazon, perhaps owing to a surge in online shopping for exercise equipment, beauty products and loungewear amid the nationwide lockdown







Hundreds of cardboard boxes sit next to a recycling centre at a Sainsbury's car park in south west London this morning







It has been suggested many people are simply dumping rubbish outside recycling locations when they arrive to discover the sites are closed


There have also been concerns some people are exploiting lockdown rules to provide illegal waste removal services from households who are generating more rubbish from being at home through DIY, gardening and spring cleaning.

Authorities which have reported problems include Liverpool City Council, which has warned residents to be careful with their waste after a rise in fly-tipped rubbish including white goods, office furniture hauling away and discarded toys. 

Winchester City Council has also reported an upsurge in fly-tipping since the Covid-19 lockdown, with one incident involving dumped waste blocking a country lane.

Enfield Council in London said its households are producing around 15 per cent more waste than normal, and is using street cleaning teams to support refuse crews and temporarily clearing extra bags of rubbish being put out.






A worker clears rubbish from the outside of one of four recycling banks outside the supermarket







Bolton, Greater Manchester: Appliances, mattresses, bin bags and recycling are discarded near a set of bins on April 3


David Renard, environment spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: 'Despite the inevitable impact of coronavirus, councils have been able to maintain household recycling collections as much as possible along with fly-tip clearance services.

'Fly-tipping is never acceptable,' he said. 'While some councils have reported fly-tipping increases, levels have also fallen in some places.

'There are concerns that unscrupulous traders are exploiting social distancing rules in some areas to try and provide illegal waste disposal services.

'Councils appreciate residents may have larger amounts of rubbish building up and they will continue to work hard to keep waste and recycling services working as effectively as possible.'












Wembley, North London: Piles of recycling and general rubbish lay uncollected at Tesco Extra Store on April 2







Wembley, north London: Rubbish is stacked high at a recycling point despite many centres not collecting during the current crisis on April 3


Mo Metcalf-Fisher of the Countryside Alliance added: 'Sadly, the countryside is a common target for those fly-tipping. Cities and towns are far from exempt either, with horrendous reports from across London too. 

'When people dump junk in the countryside they are endangering people and wildlife. 

'With many people spending more time at home, we expect that there will be an inevitable increase in DIY work, clear outs and gardening, which will result in excess junk. 

'We ask people to regularly check the refuse collection advise from their local authority, when planning out such activity. It should be obvious that driving to the countryside to fly-tip is not essential travel and there is never an excuse.'  

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said: 'We are working with the local authority to clear the area as soon as possible and are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.'