THOUSANDS of tonnes of unwanted junk was dumped by "mindless" fly-tippers at Oxford's railway tracks.

Train provider Network Rail yesterday [[feb 10]] slammed the lazy litterers who used tracks as a dumping ground, forcing them to fork out £250,000 to clear the mess.

A trampoline, shopping trolleys, asbestos-infested roofs, bicycles, televisions and gas canisters were left to decay by the rail tracks, between Oxford Parkway and Oxford Station, totalling 4,000 tonnes of waste.

Rob Mole, Network Rail's programme manager, said: "Fly-tipping is not only illegal but it blights the environment and poses a safety threat to the operation of the railway and our staff who maintain it. We have cleaned up the area of track which has been used by mindless fly-tippers and this will make a positive difference for local residents and people using the railway.

"We will always look to trace those responsible and will take action against them whenever possible. People should dispose of waste materials in the appropriate manner and not use the railway as a dumping ground."

Network Rail pleaded with residents to stop fly-tipping, which is illegal and carries hefty fines.

It urged anyone with information about fly-tipping to contact British Transport Police on 0800 405040.