A recycling centre has been branded an ‘eyesore’ by angry homeowners who live opposite the Stevenage site - but they say cleaning it up only encourages fly tipping.

The Comet: Rubbish left by the recylcing bins has been called an 'eyesore' by people in the area,Rubbish left by the recylcing bins has been called an 'eyesore' by people in the area, (Image: Archant)

John Lumbis, who lives in Mildmay Road, says that the problem affecting the east end of The Oval car park has been going on for months.

He said people just dump their recyclable goods at the centre and when the wind blows the wrong way it creates a mess.

And he also complained that ‘human scavengers’ come and search through the bins.

Stevenage Borough Council regularly visit to clean up the mess, sometimes coming every day to keep on top of the mounting ‘rubbish’.

The 70-year-old former sales manager said: “It is not the recycling that is the problem, it is the fly-tipping.

“It really is a terrible eyesore and a terrible waste of a nice area.

“The local community are unhappy with the recycling and the fly-tipping that goes on.

“It is just encouraging people to fly-tip, and then the council come along the next day and pick everything up for them!

“It is probably politically correct to recycle but we get it taken away every two weeks anyway.”

A Stevenage Borough Council spokesman said: “We are aware of the issues at The Oval car park and are looking at a number of options that will improve the situation, including a new location for the recycling banks.”