Just two hours after villagers finished clearing a dumping hot spot, fly-tippers returned and left more rubbish there.

More than 30 volunteers in Shorne took part in a litter patrol on Saturday, taking away tyres, branches, plastics and mattresses.

But they were left frustrated after discovering new rubbish in Shorne Ifield Road after having just cleaned the area.

Parish councillor Bob Lane said: “Fly-tipping happens so frequently, despite all the best efforts of the residents.

“We cannot understand why people would do that.

“In the last few weeks, we have had roads closed due to fly-tippers.

“It is a national problem and I wish we could be more active in stopping it rather than just cleaning up after them.”

There were more incidents across Gravesham at the weekend.

Rubbish was also dumped at the recycling space at Morrisons in Coldharbour Road, Northfleet, and in Batts Road, Luddesdown.

A Gravesham council spokesman said: “Fly-tipping costs councils across the country millions of pounds each year.

“Gravesham Borough Council works alongside other councils and agencies to share intelligence and catch these criminals.

“The council does have a number of ongoing fly-tipping investigations and any future prosecutions will be made public.

“The waste management team do their best to clear fly-tipping as quickly as possible and thank people for letting us know when they see rubbish dumped in their area.

“We would also like thank residents for clearing up their areas to improve their local environment.

“In light of these efforts, it’s even more disappointing to see a few people continue to dispose of their waste irresponsibly.”