THREE tonnes of rubbish dumped in a disabled parking spot at one of the region's most famous parks have been left for nearly three weeks.

Campaigners say the rubble, believed to be roofing, was dumped by a 7.5 tonne truck at Albert Park, in the centre of Middlesbrough, at about 5pm on Friday, July 11.

However Middlesbrough Borough Council, which aims to dispose of fly-tipping within 24 hours, say it was only reported 14 days ago.

Dog-walker and regular park user Billy Charlton said: "I've got a council leaflet which boasts about getting rid of fly-tipping within 24 hours and yet this rubbish has been blocking a disabled parking spot for nearly three weeks."

A spokesman for Middlesbrough Council said the rubbish will now be cleared straight away and explained why it had taken so long.

He said: “Ordinarily we will remove flytipping from public land within 24 hours unless there are exceptional circumstances.

"In this case there was a suspicion that there may be asbestos contained within the building materials and it was necessary for specialists to examine the mess.

“That has now happened and no asbestos was found. As a result we will be clearing the site straight away. We would also stress that Middlesbrough Council will actively pursue and prosecute perpetrators of flytipping.”