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A witness captured the shocking moment two fly-tippers were caught dumping furniture down a hillside near a popular Welsh beauty spot. The pair were seen throwing pieces of a sofa from a white van beside the busy A465, directly across from Spring Valley Lakes in Glynneath. The man, who asked to remain anonymous, had stopped to care for his young son when he noticed the illegal activity. He told WalesOnline that fly-tipping has become a persistent problem in the area, something he often sees in his work as a mechanic. "Our lay-bys are littered with rubbish," he said. "I work a lot of roadside breakdowns, so I'm in and out of lay-bys fixing our fleet, and I see it all the time." During the incident, he said he heard laughter and banging as he arrived, before discovering a large white van with its back doors open and two men throwing parts of an old sofa down the slope. Calling the behaviour "disgusting," he suggested that rising waste disposal costs are partly to blame. "I have friends in the waste removal business, and because prices keep going up, some customers won’t pay to have it removed properly. Waste is getting out of hand." The dumped sofa has since been cleared, providing relief to locals and visitors alike. A Neath Port Talbot Council spokesperson condemned the incident and highlighted the council’s strong track record in prosecuting fly-tippers. Between early 2024 and October 2025, the council brought 139 cases, and in 2018–19 it accounted for more than half of Wales’ 128 fly-tipping prosecutions. Residents can report fly-tipping via the council’s online form . Commenter Golfinggrannie says: “What totally baffles me is that councils charge large fees for collecting waste items, but then they have to spend a fortune on clearing up flytipping. This appears to be totally illogical. How about abolishing collection fees and thus removing the incentive for people to fly-tip? We never had to pay collection fees until comparatively recently, and I don't remember a flytipping problem years ago.” Jeffwales68 agrees: “Local authorities charge the earth for services we have already paid for with our taxes, yet they still charge extortionate fees for collecting certain types of waste, thus encouraging these people to just dump wherever to save their money. If councils acted then this could be prevented. The council in this article enthuse about the people they have prosecuted, but that also comes from the public purse when taking the action.” Boredtaxidriver62 adds: “Whatever fine they receive will either be paid at £5 a month or not at all. A quick DVLA check shows that unless it’s a hire van or on finance, seizing and crushing it is the only method that actually gets attention. I also completely agree about the council charging a fortune. Now, you even need an appointment to use the tip, and all contents are treated like a CSI-style forensic investigation.” Thebear2025 complains: “My local recycling centre makes it difficult to take anything there. Every time I've tried to take stuff they either are not taking wood that day or metal or grass cuttings. However I would never flytip and have just paid £100 to have a local waste remover (checked he had a licence) to take away stuff. I could not really afford it but had no choice. Council now wants £45 to take three items, up from £15 a few years ago!! I don't think the council wants to take any rubbish away!” Youknowsit applauds the action: “Great effort by the stranger, regardless of where fly tipping occurs it’s the council's responsibility to get it gone. Councils cannot ignore it; they have a duty to keep the county clean even if it means employing a designated fly tipping team & wagons. This isn’t the tax payers problem, it's the government’s!” CwmRhondda writes: “I cycle a lot in the quiet country lanes in SE Wales and am appalled by the amount of fly tipping I see spoiling the beautiful Welsh countryside. The consequences of flytippers being caught are far too small and the chances of being caught are also very small. Whilst I’m on the subject, the amount of litter on Welsh roads is absolutely disgusting. The A470 up to Merthyr is a disgrace, c’mon, let’s keep Wales tidy!” What do you think should be done to solve the issue of flytipping? Have your say in our comments section.
