Local residents have expressed frustration at the continued dumping of PPE equipment on the road in and out of Whitchurch village in Tavistock.

This has become a recurring problem and residents are increasingly concerned about the implications this will have on the environment and local wildlife.

‘We get a lot of PPE dumped in Whitchurch,’ said resident Nick Ingram, who believes it must be being dumped by someone in the care sector.

‘I pick up a lot of it and put it in the dustbin but it’s not very nice at all. As well as littering the countryside it is health hazard.’

The majority of the rubbish dumped consists of gloves, surgical masks and plastic bags. So far, the culprit has not been identified but residents understandably wish for these dumping actions to stop ­­– immediately.

Steve Hipsey, co-leader of the Tidy Tavy group, said: ‘This is typical of items we find along the roadside that have been callously thrown out of vehicles by those who don’t care about the environment or their community.

‘Biomedical waste like this is potentially hazardous and not recyclable; it take decades to degrade and can cause (possibly fatal) injury to wildlife. Some items find their way into water courses, eventually polluting the sea. Ponies have been found dead after having ingesting discarded plastic gloves or masks with string and wire components.

‘The council’s locality officers will investigate an incident promptly and take action to have it removed. Prosecuted offenders have received hefty fines and community sentences.’