If you missed it there are plans to remove the barriers on Berkley Lane in Frome which were put there three years ago to deter fly tipping.

Nub News visited to see what was going on.

Just up from the Frome Rugby club Nub News photographed this pile of tipping.

The concrete blocks on the lane are due to be removed today following a legal challenge.

Mendip District Council instituted a public spaces protection order (PSPO) in 2017 in a bid to reduce fly-tipping on Berkley Lane at the the north-east corner of the town.

The order, which was originally made for three months, "contributed to curtailing the fly-tipping issue" near the Commerce Park, and was extended for a further three years.

But the council has now confirmed the order has expired and the blocks will be removed on Monday (February 22), citing legal challenges made during the last few years.

PSPOs were introduced under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and allow councils to restrict certain behaviours in a given area to tackle "nuisance or problem behaviour".

The initial PSPO in Frome was an interim order, seeking concrete blocks installed at two locations on Berkley Lane.

This order was subsequently extended for a further three years, which is the maximum amount of time for which a PSPO can be active.

A letter was sent to local residents by the council on Tuesday (February 16), signed jointly by cabinet members Joshua Burr (portfolio holder for neighbourhood services) and Heather Shearer (community health services).

They said: "A key requirement of the successful implementation for the terms and conditions of the PSPO was to install gated access.

"Unfortunately, we have been unable to do this for a variety of reasons, including being unable to settle the legal challenges lodged to the interim and subsequent PSPO.

"We therefore need to take the difficult decision not to extend the current PSPO, nor make a new PSPO.

"We recognise that despite your efforts, and those of the parish council, district council and other agencies, the measures put in place have not resolved the issue, and fly-tipping continues in and around the locality.

"As such, we are taking a fresh approach and determining all mechanisms available to us and other agencies."

The letter confirmed that the order expired on Thursday (February 18), and the concrete blocks would be removed by a council contractor on Monday (February 22).

A proposal will be coming before the council's cabinet on March 1, asking councillors to endorse further enforcement activity at the site in line with existing coronavirus guidelines – such as new signs, foot patrols and surveillance cameras.

Mendip has seen a sharp rise in fly-tipping incidents since the coronavirus pandemic began, with the most recent figures by the Somerset Waste Partnership (SWP) showing a rise of more than 170 per cent in the last three months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.

A council spokesman said: "The dumping of waste (fly-tipping) and dropping of litter is illegal and both are punishable by a fine.

"We are responsible for sweeping the streets and removing litter. We do not clear dumped rubbish or litter from private land, this is the responsibility of the landowner/tenant.

"Every individual and business has a duty of care over their waste, even after it has left your home or premises, and failure to take reasonable steps to do this risks prosecution and a fine."

To report fly-tipping, call 0300 303 8588 or visit www.mendip.gov.uk/article/7612/report-fly-tipping.