A PROBE has been launched after lamb carcasses were illegally dumped in a back alley.

They were found in black bin bags between Beardsworth Street and Warrington Street, in Little Harwood, Blackburn, early yesterday.

Blackburn with Darwen Council street cleaning staff dealt with the waste following a resident's call.

A Beardsworth Street resident, who did not want to give her name, said: "There were loads of bags, maybe 15, dumped behind one of the houses in the alley. I had a look and saw the lamb, which was a bit weird."

Craig Denmark, the council's street cleaning services supervisor, said: "We have to deal with dumped meat about once a week. We have to pick this sort of waste up within two hours but dumping meat happens all over. There have been cases of this at the A666 in Darwen."

He said fly-tipped waste was inspected for evidence of its origin, such as paperwork or receipts, for prosecutions.

About dumped meat, he added: "A case is being taken to court regarding a Manchester-based company and our environmental health team is now collecting evidence for that."

A council spokeswoman said fly-tipping was taken very seriously and prosecutions were actively sought.

Fly-tipping in parts of East Lancashire more than doubled in six months of last year since a ban on van at household waste tips.

And unitary authority Blackburn with Darwen had a 60 per cent rise in fly-tipping after introducing a parallel ban.