A volunteer group has come forward offering to clear land that is arguably Helston’s worst area of fly-tipping.

Since branching out on its own last year, the Helston in Bloom group has taken it upon itself to improve the appearance of the town.

Members led last week’s Town Tidy, following the demise of the Helston Business Improvement Partnership, and now want to tackle the area below the layby of Sithney Common Hill.

This has become an infamous dumping ground for tyres, furniture and other items of fly-tipping – but little can be done about it as to date neither the town council nor Cornwall Council have been able to establish who owns the land.

Last week Erica Clark, of Helston in Bloom, attended a meeting of the town council to say: “We see this as a long term project. Helston in Bloom would like to offer the opportunity to set up the same system as we’re doing with the Town Tidy – volunteering and assisting, and setting up a whole programme of clearing the land.”

She acknowledged, however, that this could not be done until ownership was established and she urged both councils to continue looking into the matter.

In the meantime she suggested that screening or barrier could be added to the wall there, to prevent people from having to look over onto such an unsightly mess – and perhaps also stop people being able to fly-tip over it in the first place.

“My suggestion is the wall is raised to three metres and then put lovely prickly bushes to deter people from getting close to it,” said Mrs Clark.

Members have been working on the Helston boundary stone there, clearing it of weeds and planting around it. The work has been sponsored by Dales Butchers and Helston WI members are going to ‘adopt’ it to keep it looking nice.

It is one area they hope to take the Royal Horticultural Society judges of this year’s South West in Bloom competition, in which the group won an award on their first time of entry last year.

Mrs Clark said: “People get out of their cars and the first thing they do is look over the edge. Can you imagine what sort of impression they are going to get of Helston when they see that?

“Help us to show Helston in tis best light when the judges come.”

She added that, aside from the aesthetic aspect, the group also believed there was a health and safety issue, as the wall acted as a barrier between the road and the drop but “a good three or four metres” had gone from the end.

“I can see that wall is gradually going to disappear,” she said.

Mayor Mike Thomas agreed that this could pose a health and safety risk and said: “I think a fence might be a starting point.”

Cornwall Councillor Phil Martin, whose division the land falls within, agreed that matter of ownership still needed to be pursued and volunteered to try and find transport to take away the rubbish if any clearing took place.

He also said he would ask for a health and safety assessment to be carried out.