EARLIER this year The Glasgow Times revealed the extent to which fly-tipping has been harming natural areas around Glasgow, and in particular its cemeteries.

The trend has continued to Linn Cemetery, Glasgow's newest cemetery.

An anonymous source told The Glasgow Times that the fly-tipping was a 'disgrace'.

In the wooded area behind the special Infant Memorial Garden are dozens of piles of tyres, as well as broken and empty bottles, split black bin bags and years upon years of litter.

The Memorial Garden was created close to the Stillbirths and Neonatal Deaths Society Memorial Garden and Infant Burial Ground in 2003.

At Christmas time in 2004, a Family Remembrance Carol Service was held at the adjacent Linn Crematorium to allow grieving families, in particular those who have endured the loss of a child, to come together and reflect.

The source added: "It is an extra grievance for those who come to pay their respects to have to see years of muck and rubbish that has been dumped so carelessly.

"It's disgusting."

READ MORE: Council apologises to families upset by fly-tipping

The reports of fly-tipping in Linn Park cemetery have come after a new report revealed that fly-tipping complaints made to Glasgow City Council have soared in the last three years with more than 37,000 incidents recorded since 2017.

Instances of dumping rubbish illegally on public streets have almost doubled as a whole between 2017 to 2018, leading local councillors to state that Glasgow residents “deserve better”.

In 2017, fly-tipping was reported to the council 10,568 times and on 19,141 occasions in 2018. By June 2019 another 7620 concerns have already been logged with the local authority.

Glasgow City Council has said problems may arise when bulk-uplifts are not free of charge and residents refuse to pay the fees.

In the Linn ward, where Linn Park Cemetery is located, there was an 11% rise in reported cases of flytipping from last year, from 271 incidents to 302.

The amounts of fly-tipping removals that have been performed have fallen by 17%, from 167 removals to 138.

READ MORE: ‘Disgusting disrespect of the dead’: Fly-tipping blights Glasgow graveyard

A spokesman from Glasgow City Council said: "These are very regrettable scenes and we are sorry if they have upset anyone who visited the cemetery.

“It is appalling that anyone ever thought it okay to fly-tip waste in a place of remembrance.

"Those responsible for fly-tipping inside a cemetery deserve the public's contempt.

"The fly-tipped waste appears to be historic in nature but we will look at restricting access to guard against future incidents.

"Unfortunately, the location of the fly-tipping is far down a steep embankment and presents a safety hazard to staff working on foot.

"We are working to see if these items can be removed safely and we will double check the site for any information that helps to identify the culprits."

A spokesperson from SEPA told The Glasgow Times: “Fly tipping is a very serious issue across Scotland.It is an issue that is getting worse here in Glasgow and creates an added burden on already limited council budgets. There is also the negative impact to the environment – whether that’s in your street, local green spaces or even worse, local cemeteries.

“Often it is not clear as to what has been fly-tipped and it could include dangerous and hazardous materials.

“These can be harmful to wildlife and eco-systems, the people who use those spaces and places as well as the council staff who have to remove the fly-tipping."