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Mystery as fly-tipper dumps thousands of Google Images screenshots in North Staffordshire

By Jordan Edwards 31st Aug 2025

One of the piles of folders dumped in Newcastle. (Nub News)
One of the piles of folders dumped in Newcastle. (Nub News)

Around 100 folders containing thousands of images from TV shows and other pop culture references have been dumped by a fly-tipper in Newcastle-under-Lyme. 

The mysterious find was spotted by Dr Mick Salt, who has been involved with the Stop the Stink campaign in recent years.

Featured heavily in the catalogue are black and white images from the 90s TV drama Charmed, hit Netflix show Riverdale and of Ariana Grande.

Mike had put a call-out on social media for the rightful owner to come and retrieve their collection but no one has come forward. 

He said: "I presume they were owned by someone who was neuroatypical so I thought I would put it on one of the Newcastle Facebook groups in case it is someone's collection that someone else has thrown out against their will.

"When I saw them I was on a lunchtime walk because I was working from home that day, past the Morrisons near to where their goods entrance is, and I see this massive pile of folders dumped next to the electrical substation.

Inside one of the binders. (Nub News)

"When actually it looked at them, there must have been tens of thousands of pages from Google image search results which have been meticulously put back-to-back in the folders. 

"So this is weeks, or even months, of someone's work and hundreds of pounds worth of sorts of materials that have been used here."

Mike, who says he has a "general interest in waste crime", after leading the Stop the Stink campaign against Walleys Quarry, often finds and reports fly-tipping incidents in the area to Newcastle borough council, but says this is one of his weirder findings.

And some concerned residents even urged him to call the police to report the detailed account of popular culture.

As it is privately owned land, the binders remain in the same location a week after they were first discovered, off Milehouse Lane. 

David Hutchison, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council's Cabinet member for Sustainable Environment, said: "All fly-tipping is deplorable and we would urge anyone who may have seen anything suspicious to contact the police.

"We understand this incident is on private land and unfortunately it is the responsibility of the landowner to deal with the matter."

     

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