The mayor of Congleton, Cllr Sally Ann Holland, has this morning posted a plea on her "Mayor Bear" Facebook page.

Cllr Holland has appealed for anybody living in the town and its surrounding area to tune in to tonight's BBC 1 TV investigation into fly tipping.

"Rubbish Dump Britain", a Panorama programme is being screened at 7.35pm with reporter Richard Bilton asking why so few people are prosecuted for damaging the places we love.

"This is especially relevant to Congleton because so far Cheshire East Council have refused to change their mind about closing the town's household waste and recycling centre," said Cllr Holland.

"I am appalled to see a suggestion on Facebook that as a protest rubbish should be dumped on the council's premises. That is not the right way forward at all.

"The people of Congleton must go about this the right way. Yes, we have to fight this. But Congleton is not Washington.

"It is up to us as councillors to use everything at our disposal in the democratic process to keep our tip open."

Cllr Holland warns tonight's TV programme will be "a master class illustration" of what will happen to the town if the tip shuts.

She added: "What will become abundantly clear is the sort of fly tipping nightmare this will create in Congleton, a place which has won countless awards for our blooms and tidy town centre.

"The path will be cleared for a town of almost 27,000 people and its surrounding areas to become the fly tipping centre of the North West."

The tip is earmarked for closure in September. The mayor is adamant that recycling is a way out of the battle against landfill and, ultimately, global warming, but that in Congleton from September the closure will involve . . .

- A 14 mile-round trip

- Long queuing times at the Macclesfield and Alsager tips

- Increase in fly-tipping in our beautiful countryside

- Burning more fuel

- Costing residents more money

- Taking twice as long (1hr)

- Fly tipping costing more money to collect

- The return of neighbours burning garden waste

Cllr Holland added: "The return of some sunny weather at the weekend brought such long queues of traffic at the Macclesfield tip that the police had to appeal for residents to go to the tip later in the week.

"What on earth would it have been like if that tip had been dealing with Congleton residents as well?"