Mountains of rubbish are polluting a beauty spot in West Swindon a week after the council told residents they were cleaning it up. 

Shaw Forest Park was formerly a landfill site but it is now a woodland where dogwalkers and families go to enjoy fresh air and wildlife spotting, particularly during the summer holidays. 

Last week the Adver reported that many residents had complained about the "grim" rubbish dumped in the grass, including soiled nappies, household waste, faeces and used condoms, which they believe was left by travellers.

Witnesses saw travellers set up camp at the park on Thursday, July 25 when approximately 10 caravans and associated vehicles were parked around the grounds.

The lock on the main gate had been cut off and the security bar was removed to allow entry to the space and they left a week later on Thursday, August 1.

Swindon Borough Council confirmed it was aware of the mess and were organising cleaning it up. 

But over the weekend, many residents took to social media to complain about “multiple piles of rubbish" they say has been there for three weeks.

One resident said: “The police surely know who caused the mess. Send them back to clean it up.”

Another comment read: “I’ve only ever been to that park twice in recent years and both occasions there’s been fly-tipping we’ve spotted.”

One commenter added: “I wonder if the council could provide waste disposal services when travellers move on to local green spaces. If they are not provided, what should the travellers do with their waste?

“If our rubbish wasn’t collected from our streets, where would our rubbish go? Let’s not demonise travellers if they don’t get waste collection like us house-dwellers.”

One local dog-walker contacted the Adver on Tuesday, August 13 about the rubbish, confirming the council had not yet cleaned up the mess.

He said: “Since travellers left the site weeks ago, the owners of the park or Swindon Borough Council still haven’t removed any of the rubbish left behind and in a heatwave it stinks.”

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the fly-tipping had been reported to the council weeks ago.

Piles of rubbish at Shaw Forest ParkPiles of rubbish at Shaw Forest Park (Image: From Public)

He said: “Looking at the big picture, every six-nine months there’s always a visit from these communities somewhere in Swindon.

"Every time there has to be a massive clear up after... Residents are the ones that foot the bill for their actions, and it goes on time after time, year after year. Then the council have to pay.

"I’d hate to think how many hundreds of thousands have been spent, possibly millions over the years, that could have been put to better use."

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, we thought this waste had already been cleared away. We would like to thank the local resident for bringing this to our attention. We have made arrangements to clear all the waste tomorrow.”