A BURGER van owner has called for action against fly-tippers who dump everything from sofas to asbestos in the lay-by he works in.

And Julian Court has expressed concern that the highly dangerous substance, which can cause cancer and scarring of lung tissue, was left just minutes away from a school.

Mr Court, who runs the takeaway van Delicious Hot Food, said he has been clearing up tyres, abandoned prams and building site rubble on a regular basis since he came to the site four years ago.

And he fears that if the situation continues, the district council may be forced to remove the recycling bins from the lay-by off the A419, opposite Thrupp playing field.

"We try to keep it nice and clean, but some people just dump anything there," he said. "They are so lazy they expect other people to pick it up after them.

"There's a tip for people to use in Horseley but they can't be bothered to use it.

"I pick up the litter every day, cut the grass and trim the hedges. "It concerns me from a health and safety point of view, especially with the asbestos. "It's right opposite a school playing field."

Fly-tipping is a criminal offence which can carry fines of up to £50,000 or five years imprisonment. Stroud District Council spokesman Dave Marshall said that the authority had only been called out to collect asbestos from the site once over the last six years.

However, he agreed that with such a dangerous substance, even one incident was cause for concern. "Obviously, we rely on the eyes and ears of the community because we can't be everywhere," he said. "We need people to report any dumping to us."