VILLAGERS were horrified to find the main road into their hamlet blocked off by rubbish.
Residents of Tottleworth, Rishton, found a huge pile of rubbish dumped on Tottleworth Road, which links the village with Rishton and Great Harwood, last Thursday morning.
And to make matters worse council workers who normally clean up the mess were on strike over wages.
Ex-police chief Malcolm Rawcliffe, 62, said: “The road is completely blocked off.
“No-one can get their cars in and out of the village. What if there was a fire or an ambulance was needed? They wouldn’t be able to get in or out.”
Old furniture, office rubbish and takeaway boxes were all included in the pile which was over three feet high.
Tottleworth has suffered from fly-tipping in the past but this was one of the worst incidents because it blocked off the main road.
Mr Rawcliffe said villagers could walk around the rubbish but safety was a major issue.
He added: “We are all tired of this happening and want something to be done.
“It is not fair to the people living in Tottleworth.”
A Hyndburn Council spokeswoman confirmed there was nothing the council could do about the problem until staff in the environmental health department returned to work.
Representatives from the department visited the site to assess the damage on Friday.
A spokesman said the incident was under investigation and the rubbish would be cleaned up as soon as possible.
The rubbish was cleared to the side of the road on Friday so drivers could get through but it had still not been fully cleared away by Monday afternoon.
