NEEDLES and other clinical waste have been found dumped near a Herefordshire village hall, with reports of fly tipping on the rise in the area.

The rubbish was found near Hope under Dinmore's village hall, minutes from January's meeting of Hope under Dinmore and Newton Group Parish Council reveal.

Parish clerk Lesley Hay warned the meeting that there had been an increase in local fly tipping in the area, while chair, councillor Leslie Legge, said there was a problem with fly tipping near to the village hall, with this issue happening on a regular basis.

An inspection of a recently fly tipped bag's contents revealed that it contained clinical waste including needles, which could be a serious health and safety issue, documents from the meeting said.

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Ward councillor Pauline Crockett, who was present at the meeting, said she would report the issue to the Environment Agency and speak with Herefordshire Council environmental health chief Marc Willimont.

Herefordshire Council said it operates a free fortnightly collection service to pick up clinical waste from homes in Herefordshire, but this must be approved by a district nurse or care professional, who will need to arrange an assessment and contact the council to arrange a collection.

Clinical, infectious, or hazardous waste includes soiled medical dressings or other items which contain bodily fluids from a person with an infectious disease.

The collection service in Herefordshire is carried out by a dedicated vehicle and is taken for disposal by incineration at an approved plant.

However, yellow sharps boxes, in which used needles should be discarded, which should be returned to GP