CCTV cameras needed to deter desecration of South Tyrone's starkly beautiful forests and waterways

That’s the call from Sinn Fein Councillor Mickey Gillespie, who said flytippers were desecrating local beauty-spots popular with walkers, cyclists and anglers.

Remote roads in the area have also been littered with household rubbish and builders’ rubble.

The area has been inundated with illegal dumping in the past few months, with dead animals, tyres, household waste and builders’ rubble being chucked by the side of roads and at Altmore reservoir.

Sinn Fein Councillor Mickey Gillespie said there had been a marked increase in illegal dumping.

Last week, local residents were greeted with the gruesome sight of a dead calf and a load of tyres, which were dumped near the reservoir.

“This is a problem that has been gradually getting worse and we are now reaching a ridiculous stage where everything under the sun is being dumped at remote locations around Altmore”, said Councillor Gillespie.

“The remoteness of these roads and the fact that most of the land is owned by the forestry service has made it easier for flytippers to strike without fear of prosecution.

“I am calling for the forestry service and Mid Ulster Council to install mobile covert cameras to stop these unscrupulous people blighting the local landscape. I would also call on the Department of Agriculture to use DNA testing to trace any dead animals back to their owners.”