There have been no fixed penalty notices or convictions for fly-tipping in West Dunbartonshire for the third year running.

Official figures show that West Dunbartonshire Council has recorded 1,119 incidents since 2019.

Among the many instances was in January last year, when a heap of rubbish was dumped at Dumbarton’s St James Retail Park - just one day after a clean-up team cleared the area of fly-tipping.

Piles of rubbish, including household furniture, were left behind at the retail car park area where charity bins reside, leaving it more difficult for residents to donate unwanted clothing into the containers.

It is believed the rubbish has been building up for weeks over the Christmas period – which has caused West Dunbartonshire Council to be in delayed contact with the site owner, Legal and General.

The Liberal Democrats have also obtained figures that also show how many ended up with fines or prosecutions.

Despite the number of recorded incidents in the local authority, there were zero fines issued for fly-tipping.

No flytipping incidents were passed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

Meanwhile, across Scotland, there were more than 207,000 cases over the past three years, while just under 1.2 per cent resulted in fines being issued, with 2,467 people given fixed penalty notices.

The party said its research found only six councils passed cases on to the procurator fiscal and just one conviction was obtained, which was for an example in East Dunbartonshire.

Willie Rennie, the LibDems' communities spokesperson, said: “From remote beauty spots to busy cities, these figures show that fly tipping is a blight on our beautiful country. Not only that but it can prove catastrophic for animals, plants and soil.

“The pandemic and the bin strikes disrupted refuse collections but there is also a fundamental unfairness in the present system, which sees farmers and other owners left with the responsibility for clearing up waste that has been dumped on their properties.

“We need to see local authorities using the powers at their disposal to clamp down on this disgusting behaviour and ensure that repeat offenders especially feel the full force of the law.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats also want to see increased support for farmers and those who bear the brunt of fly-tipping to help them with the clear-up costs. This should use the proceeds of a new restitution order which hits offenders’ pockets hard. This could see courts able to require a contribution from offenders to a new national fund available to help victims.”

West Dunbartonshire Council have been approached for comment.