A Chard man claims piles of rubbish are being allowed to build up on district council-owned grassland near his home.

David Whatley, 74, regularly clears household and garden rubbish left on a large area of grassland near his Cook Avenue home, because he says South Somerset District Council rarely visits the site.

A site meeting was held last Wednesday at the grassland, where representatives from the police, the district council and Mendip and South Somerset Community Safety Partnership, discussed problems faced in the area.

Mr Whatley said there had been a rubbish problem on the land for years, and nothing had been done to solve it.

He said: "It's been treated as a tip. Lorry loads of rubbish have been dumped here, and the amount of fly-tipping is horrendous.

"The district council don't clear the area regularly. When they do come, they don't do a bad job, but it's a nonsense we don't have someone here in Chard working to clean our open spaces.