Fly-tipping shame at start of Wherryman’s Way and Weavers’ Way over Great Yarmouth’s Breydon Water

It is the gateway to the Broads and the start of Norfolk's flagship long-distance paths, the Wherryman's Way and Weavers' Way.

However, one horrified rambler contacted the EDP afer finding the spectacular views over Great Yarmouth's Breydon Water spoiled by accumulations of unsightly rubbish.

An EDP team went to investigate yesterday morning and discovered piles of litter - including discarded drinks bottles, rusty wheels, plastic bags and even a chair - right next to the footpath.

The trail of debris, much of it likely to have been deposited during a high tide, stretches for hundreds of yards from Breydon Bridge to the bank running alongside the railway line.

Miriam Kikis, who runs the seafood restaurant in nearby North Quay, described the litter as 'unacceptable and a shame for the town'.

Mrs Kikis, who has long campaigned for the whole area to be smartened up from the Vauxhall Bridge, said: 'I have even seen a cooker and freezer dumped along there.'

Mark Smart, RSPB manager for Breydon Water, said: 'While this is not our land, we have worked with the land managers in the past to tidy it up and will be in touch with them again soon. It is such an eyesore in this beautiful location and really makes you think about the need for better waste management from local industries and individuals.'

Bruce Hanson, tourism spokesman for the Broads Authority, said: 'It is very disappointing that some people have such little respect for this special environment. It's an indication of the scale of the task we have in educating the public to care for the natural world.'