A LARGE pile of asbestos waste was recently discovered on a country lane near Bridgwater.

A local resident first came across the dumped hazardous material on Wednesday, January 31, on Moore's Lane which runs from Wembdon towards Chilton Trinity.

A spokesperson for Somerset Council said the Waste Services Team were notified of potential discarded asbestos at two sites in the area.

"Our Waste Services Team were alerted to the illegal dumping of suspected asbestos at two sites by a member of the public," the spokesperson said.

"The team arranged for urgent removal of the materials within 24 hours by a specialist contractor after an inspection confirmed it was indeed asbestos.

"If you spot what you think is asbestos or other hazardous material please report it to the Council on 0300 123 2224."

The news comes little over a month after Bridgwater and West Somerset MP urged locals to report any incidents of fly-tipping or countryside vandalism in the area.

Ian Liddell-Grainger hoped 'having thousands of extra eyes on the ground' would help the authorities to clamp down on damaging or polluting incidents, as well as fly tipping.

He added that walkers and ramblers should be prepared to record and report any incidents they witness.

Somerset Council also recently introduced a new service to allow for asbestos to be disposed of safely at local recycling centres.