
Travellers have been ordered to abandon a makeshift camp under the M1 where a mound of fly-tipped rubbish has completely blocked a motorway underpass - but authorities have refused to explain whether they will be investigated over the grotesque mess left behind.

Councils across the UK are cracking down on fly-tipping, spending days going through dumped rubbish to try to stop the 'harmful' and costly criminal practice.

However, an underpass has been turned into a rubbish-filled cave in Bedfordshire and it seems those who may have been involved in creating it have been allowed to drive away.

The huge mound of industrial waste under the M1 at Junction 12 for Flitwick has been spread across an area which is nine lanes wide.

The clear-up operation is likely to cost thousands of pounds but Bedfordshire Council is yet to explain to MailOnline what action they are taking in response.

Areas around the M1 have long been used as traveller camps, with reports of caravans being parked up by the side of the busy motorway dating back to 2004. It is not clear for how long the Flitwick travellers has been living there.

Nine lanes of motorway traffic drive over the underpass which is being turned into an unofficial dump site. However, Highways England said they will get there and clean it this week

The eviction took place at 2pm but police confirmed no arrests were made - despite the huge pile of fly-tipped rubbish left behind

Images emerged on Monday which showed travellers had been evicted from the area.

Police then confirmed no arrests were made and they were not on scene when council bailiffs turned up to turf them out.

Highways England said in a statement they were 'not aware' of the gigantic rubbish pile until now, suggesting those in the area most recently may be behind the mess.

The roads agency said: 'We’ve now been able to get staff on site and have requested for our contractors to attend urgently to assess the situation, provide an estimate for when it can be cleared by and the cost of this. We’ll look to recover costs of this where possible.'

Bedforshire Police confirmed they have not attended the scene but that they were 'aware' of it and that it was being 'dealt with' by other authorities.

This weekend caravans with foreign licence plates were spotted parked close by the mess, with some of those living there seen relaxing by the great wall of rubbish over the weekend.

Grassy areas around the underpass are also scattered with industrial waste, building materials and household items.

Elsewhere in the country councils are working day and night to track down those who have fly-tipped, by going through the rubbish by hand and looking for clues.

The penalties for fly-tipping set out in the Environmental Protection Act 1990 were increased through the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, making it a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment.

However, new images show those who may be behind the mess have apparently driven off without punishment.

A band of industrial fly tippers had now totally blocked the underpass at Junction 12 of the M1 Motorway, new photos have shown

Piles of rubbish are now being dumped on grass verges nearby. There are at least five caravans and vehicles used on work sites

Bedfordshire Council has not answered questions on how they are going to handle to huge fly-tipping mess found under the M1. Travellers were evicted from the site on Monday afternoon

Shocking images have shown how bad the level of fly-tipping is under the underpass near Flitwick. Authorities were alerted to a similar problem in 2017

Caravans are parked near the site under the M1 where young men can be seen relaxing on chairs. It is not clear whether those asked to leave will be questioned by police

Vans, caravans and other vehicles are parked in the area where travellers appear to be living next to a huge pile of rubbish

The area is likely to cost thousands to clean up. Highways England will be urged to launch an investigation into who has left the rubbish here

The rubbish stretches back right out of the underpass and along the road. The area was marked for clearance last year

The underpass is at Junction 12 of the M1 near Flitwick where thousands of motorists travel every day

The underpass was at the centre of similar scenes in August 2017 when the underpass was clogged with rubbish.

The images have emerged after it was revealed the cost to taxpayers of clearing up fly-tipping rose to more than £57 million last year, up around 13 per cent from £50 million previously, the Local Government Association (LGA) said.

The organisation said that in 2016/17, there were 492,139 incidents of fly-tipping from vans and trucks.

Last year, a House of Commons briefing paper by Sarah Priestly said fly-tipping represented a 'significant blight on local environments; a source of pollution; a potential danger to public health and hazard to wildlife'.

If all those vehicles were parked bumper to bumper, it would form a queue more than 1,459 miles long, with the amount of fly-tipped rubbish able to circle the M25 motorway 12 and a half times, the LGA said.

In addition to the van-loads of rubbish, there were huge amounts of black bin bags, car-boot loads and single items fly-tipped last year.

Caravans and work vans are parked up in the area as people appear to be living at the side of the impromptu rubbish dump

The area has been turned into a campsite as caravans are parked up near to the gigantic rubbish mound

The Highways Agency, Bedfordshire police and county Council will be expected to fix the problem

The underpass was supposed to be cleared in 2017 but new pictures show the problem is now much worse

The underpass is completely stuffed full of rubbish, including industrial waste likely to be from building sites. Drivers pass over the M1 at Flitwick