Three mattresses were left propped against a willow tree in Headington in the latest example of fly-tipping in Oxford.

The mattresses were dumped in Horwood Close, a cul-de-sac just off London Road.

Waste enforcement officers from Oxfordshire County Council have issued another warning to would-be illegal dumpers that if caught they face fines of up to £50,000 and a possible jail sentence.

Fly-tipping has soared across the county, with an average of 16 incidents logged by councils every day.

In 2004-5 there were 3,689 fly-tipping incidents, but in 2005-6 there were 5,910 an increase of 60 per cent.

And council taxpayers have to foot the bill for clean-up operations at a cost of nearly £300,000 a year across the county.

County council waste enforcement officer Mark Leonard said: "This is yet another incident that most people would find appalling and inexplicable.

"This kind of behaviour is simply unacceptable and costs the taxpayer."

Last month, it took the Oxford Mail just an hour to find enough illegally-dumped household waste in and around the city to create our own slightly tatty living room.

Within 60 minutes of leaving our head office in Osney Mead we had spotted a sofa, armchair, table, chairs, carpet, television and a DVD player left at the side of city streets.

Meanwhile, hidden cameras will be used to try to catch fly-tippers in Ardley, near Bicester, while the local waste and recycling centre is shut for modernisation work.

The cameras will be set up by Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council to spot people illegally dumping rubbish.

The Ardley Fields Waste Recycling Centre will be closed until the end of this month. People are being advised to use the Redbridge site in Oxford, or Dix Pit, near Chadlington, during the closure.

Are there problems with fly-tipping in your area? If so, call the Oxford Mail newsdesk on 01865 425500.