CORNWALL county council has welcomed extra powers given to the county's district council's to tackle the problems of fly-tipping and litter.

Camborne and Redruth have seen a spate of flytipping problems over recent years especially around the Carn Brea area. The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, which comes into force this week, makes fly-tipping an arrestable offence, with a maximum £50,000 fine or five years imprisonment.

It also creates a raft of measures to combat litter and mess, with littering offences extended to cover all open spaces, including rivers, lakes, ponds and private property.

There are also new offences to help councils deal with nuisance parking and noise nuisance.

"Rubbish illegally dumped on roads, fields and other public spaces is a real problem," said Adam Paynter, the county council's executive member for environment and heritage.

"We already work very closely with the district councils to tackle these problems and we will continue to do all we can to assist them to create a clean and pleasant environment."