Visiting a site in Guthrie Street where the council is cleaning up rubbish as part of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) national fly-tipping enforcement week, she said, “It is in the public’s interest to pass on any information they have about fly-tippers, because it is their money that has to be used to deal with the problem.

“They can phone the council on 432732 to report incidents or the national line on 0845 2304090.

“When fly-tipping occurs it looks unsightly and can cause environmental damage and potential hazards for the public.

“There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to illegally dump rubbish of any kind — the council operates a bulky uplift service that will take away items, and there are also major recycling facilities at Marchbanks, Riverside and Baldovie.

Councillor Sturrock said the council worked with other agencies, such as SEPA and the police, to deal with fly-tipping.

This included investigations to establish the identity of people illegally dumping waste.

As part of the campaign, SEPA has issued schools with posters highlighting the cost of fly-tipping.

A spokesperson for SEPA said today, “SEPA, in conjunction with Dundee City Council, Angus Council and Keep Scotland Beautiful, has created posters highlighting the cost of fly-tipping to the community.

“The idea behind these posters, which will be put up in schools, is to educate youngsters of not only the hazards associated with illegally dumping waste, but the financial burden it has on the community.

“As well as being an eyesore, fly-tipping costs over £11 million in Scotland and if we can educate schoolchildren at an early age we may reduce these costs in the long term.”

The £11 million that illegal dumping costs in Scotland every year would pay for 55 new skate parks, the operation of more than 60 libraries for a year or the running of 24 swimming pools for a year.

Earlier this year, Dundee was named and shamed as one of the dirtiest places in Scotland in a report by the Scottish Executive’s health watchdog.

Dundee City Council hit back at the research, which said rubbish, weeds and dog fouling all contributed to the city failing to meet the minimum government standard.

The local authority said the situation had improved since the study’s findings, following successful measures such as the introduction of environmental wardens and waste-enforcement officers.

Dundonians came to the defence of their city, saying it was similar to most Scottish cities when it came to cleanliness.