Barriers are to be installed at three fly-tipping hotspots in South Gloucestershire in an effort to stop the illegal dumping of rubbish.

So-called gating orders have been issued for roads in Easter Compton, Aust and Stoke Gifford, where mounds of rubbish have frequently been left.

At Curtis Lane in Stoke Gifford, there is a fear that waste could fall onto a nearby railway line, while rubbish abandoned in Farm Lane, Easter Compton, often blocks an emergency route for the Severnside works.

There have been 24 reported incidents of fly-tipping in Farm Lane in the last year and six in Curtis Lane. South Gloucestershire Council's director of community services, Steve Evans, said there was also a long history of fly-tipping at the third site in Severn Road, Aust.

By installing the barriers, the routes will remain open to walkers, cyclists and horse riders but only keyholders will be able to open them fully.

Councillor Matthew Riddle, whose ward includes Severn Road in Aust said: "This site has long been a fly-tipping hotspot because people have been able to reverse vehicles into the access lane and use the screening provided by the hedges to fly-tip unseen by passing traffic." The action follows the appointment by the council of two workers to lead enforcement action against fly-tippers.

David Cole and Catherine Hopkins will target fly-tipping hotspots and issue fixed penalty notices to anyone caught dumping rubbish.