Drums of acid dumped in lane

Drums containing gallons of what is thought to be dangerous acid have been dumped in a leafy lane in a village near Cannock.

Lives could have been put at risk by the thoughtless fly-tippers claim angry senior councillors and environment officers at Cannock Chase Council.

The liquid is believed to be an industrial acid used in metal plating and burns the skin. It cost £800 to remove the two 45-gallon drums.

An appeal has now been launched to try and help trace the culprits who dumped the drums in a ditch in School Lane, off the A5, near Little Wyrley.

One of the drums was full of liquid, the other had a small amount of a substance inside. Specialists had to remove the drums.

The drums, were removed on Tuesday.

Karen Sulway, environmental protection manager at the council said she believed the drums had been rolled off the back of a lorry.

She said: "It is more serious than most incidents of fly-tipping because if the drum had leaked or been opened it could have injured people or entered the water course and affected wildlife or water quality.

"We need to know who tipped them and where they came from. We are trying to contact the supplier of the product to see who they supply in this area."

Councillor Tony Williams added: "They didn't care what happened after they dumped the acid and who knows what could have happened. If young people had found them and opened someone could have been seriously burned or worse."

A £100 reward is on offer for information leading to a successful prosecution.

Clearing up rubbish dumped by fly-tippers in Cannock cost the council more than £24,000 last year. Fly-tipping cost neighbouring Lichfield around £27,000 over the same period.