A motorway underpass has become completely blocked after months of fly-tipping – and travellers appear to be living around it.
The waste has gathered under the M1 at Junction 12 for Flitwick, spread across an area which is nine lanes wide.
Grassy areas around the underpass are also scattered with industrial waste, building materials and household items.
Caravans with foreign licence plates are currently parked close by the mess, with some of those living there seen relaxing by the great wall of rubbish over the weekend.
A band of industrial fly tippers had now totally blocked the underpass at Junction 12 of the M1 Motorway

Nine lanes of motorway traffic drive over the underpass which is being turned into an unofficial dump site

Piles of rubbish are now being dumped on grass verges nearby. There are at least five caravans and vehicles used on work sites

Shocking images have shown how bad the level of fly-tipping is under the underpass near Flitwick

Caravans are parked near the site under the M1 where young men can be seen relaxing on chairs

Vans, caravans and other vehicles are parked in the area where travellers appear to be living

The area is likely to cost thousands to clean up. Highways England will be urged to launch an investigation into who has left the rubbish here

The rubbish stretches back right out of the underpass and along the road. The area was marked for clearance last year

The underpass is at Junction 12 of the M1 near Flitwick where thousands of motorists travel every day
However, this is not the first time it has happened.
Last year, in August, the underpass was covered with fly-tipped rubbish.
The images have emerged after it was revealed the cost to taxpayers of clearing up fly-tipping rose to more than £57 million last year, up around 13 per cent from £50 million previously, the Local Government Association (LGA) said.
The organisation said that in 2016/17, there were 492,139 incidents of fly-tipping from vans and trucks.
If all those vehicles were parked bumper to bumper, it would form a queue more than 1,459 miles long, with the amount of fly-tipped rubbish able to circle the M25 motorway 12 and a half times, the LGA said.
In addition to the van-loads of rubbish, there were huge amounts of black bin bags, car-boot loads and single items fly-tipped last year.

Caravans and work vans are parked up in the area as people appear to be living at the side of the impromptu rubbish dump

The area has been turned into a campsite as caravans are parked up near to the gigantic rubbish mound

The Highways Agency, Bedfordshire police and county Council will be expected to fix the problem

The underpass was supposed to be cleared in 2017 but new pictures show the problem is now much worse

The underpass is completely stuffed full of rubbish. Drivers pass over the M1 at Flitwick

There are a number of people living in the area in at least five caravans – just metres from the rubbish pile