A group of volunteers have teamed up to clear a 'river of rubbish' which has been visible from as far as five miles away. 

The vast amount of waste - which included discarded household rubbish, bin bags, alcohol and vapes - was dumped on Bwlch Mountain in South Wales in January.

And since then the site has become a massive 'eyesore' for residents and has had a 'catastrophic' impact on the local wildlife, critics said.

Disgusting drone footage showed the garbage strewn across the beautiful Welsh countryside.  

Now the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue team (CBMRT), working alongside the local council and the landowner, have finally cleared the rubbish from the steep hillside.

Over the course of a two-day operation, the volunteers removed several tonnes of waste while working 12 hours per day.

They were able to reach the area using over a kilometre of rope to carefully abseil down the 439-metres-high mountain. 

The clean-up was led by CBMRT Technical Lead Pete Spearing, who began developing plans for the operation after the scale of the fly-tipping came to public attention earlier this year.

He said: 'When we first saw the images from Bwlch Mountain, they really struck a chord with the team.

'We spend thousands of hours each year in the outdoors and couldn't stand by and watch such a beautiful area be treated like a dumping ground.'

Over the next few months, Mr Spearing worked with Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and the landowner to find a safe way to remove the rubbish in what became a 'highly technical operation'.  

He continued: 'The terrain is extremely steep and required specialist rope rescue systems and a significant volunteer effort to recover the waste safely.

'I'm incredibly proud of what the team achieved over the weekend.

'Several tonnes of rubbish have now been removed from the mountain and the area has been transformed.'

Fly-tipping has become an ongoing issue in the area with the culprits often throwing their waste from a lay-by above the cliffs.

Speaking to the Daily Mail in January, the owners of the mountain warned the clean-up would cost thousands of pounds.

Katie Davies, whose family have owned the patch of land for 90 years, said: 'It's horrendous. It's really heartbreaking. I need a long-term solution, I can't keep doing this.'

Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team is an entirely volunteer-run charity that receives no government funding for its operational activities.

Every member of the team gave up their weekend to help, while also responding to four separate mountain rescue callouts on the Saturday.

A JustGiving page has also been set up so generous members of the public can support the operation.  

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council leader Ann Crimmings, also cabinet member for finance which includes waste and recycling, said: 'The Bwlch Mountain is home to some of our most beautiful countryside,and it is completely unacceptable that a minority treat it as a personal dumping ground.

'There is never an excuse to blight our mountains, towns, streets and villages with waste, and we will find those responsible and hold them to account.

'The lazy actions of the minority ultimately affect us all.

'That is why we will continue to use all the powers available to us to hold those accountable for their actions.

'Many recovered items could have been taken to a Community Recycling Centre or collected from the kerbside at no extra cost.'