GLASGOW has hit a “new low” after council crews were called out to tackle fly-tipping in a city cemetery, a councillor has warned.

Angry residents alerted Glasgow City Council officers to piles of rubbish dumped in the middle of Craigton Cemetery in Cardonald at the weekend.

Clean-up crews were swift to action and cleared the site almost immediately, however, calls have been made for further enforcement to put a halt to the vandalism.

Councillor Jim Kavanagh has blasted those responsible for the "despicable" act of ditching the items in a graveyard without regard for those who attend the site for mourning.

He said: “This is a new low for the city – and a bulk uplift charge isn’t even applicable yet.

“The issue of fly-tipping is getting worse and worse. I notice it almost daily around my ward.

Fly-tipping in Craigton Cemetery

Fly-tipping in Craigton Cemetery

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“We need better enforcement to put a stop to this once and for all.”

The council insisted it was working tirelessly to tackle the issue, which has been reported widely throughout the city.

As previously reported, more than 20,000 fly-tipping reports were lodged to the local authority throughout 2020, with Southside Central being reporting the highest number of incidents.

Just 33 fines were handed out.

A spokesman said: “Fly-tipping at the best of times is blatant anti-social behaviour, but anyone who fly-tips in a cemetery can only be described as bereft of any kind of basic humanity.

“A member of public rightly reported that a truckload of assorted rubbish, including household furniture, had been dumped in the cemetery, and that waste was then cleared by staff on Monday.

“Every penny spent on clearing up after this kind of criminal behaviour is money diverted away from other cleansing services that help to maintain the city.”

He added: “The vast majority of people do understand they can play their part in supporting the city’s environment by disposing of their waste in an appropriate manner.

Cllr Jim Kavanagh

Cllr Jim Kavanagh

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“Waste collection and disposal is the single largest component of the city’s £100m annual spend on environmental protection and charging for bulk uplifts is normal in all other Scottish local authority areas, bar one.

“The feedback we have received from other local authorities is that they saw no difference in fly-tipping rates after introducing charges for bulk uplifts.

“Craigton Cemetery will be included in the locations where we station mobile CCTV.”