A holidaying couple returned from their summer holiday to find 20 tonnes of rubble in their garden, and could be prosecuted if they fail to clear it.

Cheryl Pandis, 55, from Mitcham, found about seven skip-loads of building debris on her land after flytippers apparently broke her fence and forced entry to the garden in Borough Road.

The council has ordered her to clear it, but she has refused, after estimating it would cost about £2,100 - about £300 per skip.

Neighbours saw trucks dumping the rubbish and complained to the council, which then responded by saying it would send Mrs Pandis, who was bed-ridden with food poisoning, a letter ordering her to remove the mess.

Mrs Pandis said she spoke to Merton police, who referred her to the Environmental Health Agency, and then to Merton Council - which she claims told her she would have to clear the problem herself.

Mrs Pandis added: “We can't afford to pay for that so they will just have to take us to court.

“Our money is to feed our family and pay our bills; we don't have any spare to pay for other people's rubbish.

“Moreover, we are the victims of crime so the police should take action to catch the perpetrators.

“We're too scared to do anything about it ourselves.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Criminal damage, entering her property and fly tipping are all criminal offences but it is the council's responsibility to remove the rubble.”

Merton Council deputy leader, Councillor Mark Betteridge, said: "Fly tipping can be a real problem for our residents, and we spend a huge amount of time and effort investigating this type of offence in Merton.

"Every year we see a number of successful prosecutions as a direct result of our work on this issue.

"As far as this incident is concerned, we are currently investigating an individual as to where the fly tip originated and how it ended up at Mr Pandis' property."