Fly tippers who dumped furniture – including a sofa- in the countryside near Ely might have given the authorities more than a simple clue to track them down.

The Ely Standard was alerted by a reader to the fly tipping in Queen Adelaide, Ely, and when we arrived we found the dumped furniture and other debris dumped alongside the road.

However on closer inspection our photographer found old pay slips from a London hotel and other personal effects clearly showing who it once belonged to.

The payslip, of course, could have been dropped by a third party and the person named could have paid someone else to remove it – who instead of taking it to a recycling centre tipped it by the roadside.

On their website East Cambridgeshire District Council points out that “fly tipping is not only unsightly, inconsiderate, dangerous and expensive to clean up, it is also illegal.

“Waste can only be deposited at licensed sites and anyone fly tipping waste is not only costing us all money, as council taxpayers, but they are also committing a serious offence.

“Fines for fly tipping can be as much as £50,000 or six months imprisonment (or both) on conviction in court.”

The council says: “We will investigate and remove fly tipped waste from public land. “Fly tipping can be reported to our customer services team on 01353 665555 or via our self service portal.”

They advise anyone reporting fly tipping to provide them with as many details as possible.

“No-one needs to resort to dumping in the countryside,” says the council.

“If you have additional household items you want to get rid of, then contact the council on 01353 665555. The charge for this service is £22 for up to three items or £22 each for a fridge/freezer.”