Flytippers in Oxfordshire have much to answer for.

Latest figures show that they are costing council taxpayers more than £185,000 a year to clean up -- equivalent to £500 a day.

Just think what extra services could be provided with that money, or by how much our council tax could be reduced.

We need tougher enforcement and tougher penalties.

In a recent case, a bathroom fitter whose rubbish ended up on an old airfield was fined £700 and ordered to pay £787 costs by Didcot magistrates.

What sort of punishment is that to a trader? The maximum penalty for a first offence is £5,000, rising to £50,000 for a second and subsequent offence. Fines should be at the top end of the scale, not the bottom.

Enforcement is also weak. Unless someone is caught redhanded, or stupidly leaves identification behind, the chances of being prosecuted are low.

Some years ago, the Environment Agency fitted secret cameras in disguised drinks cans at troublespots to catch offenders. Whatever happened to that initiative?

Today, we publish a picture of some of the rubbish extracted from the Northfield Brook at Blackbird Leys, Oxford.

What an appalling commentary on the way we are treating this wonderful county of ours.