Fly-tippers have dumped 200 tonnes of hazardous waste, believed to be asbestos, along the A120 and A10 in Hertfordshire.

The county council and partners are currently dealing with a “significant and hugely costly” incident following the discovery of four abandoned trailers.

They were dumped on the A10 and A120, and initial investigations indicated that each contained approximately 50 tonnes of dangerous and potentially harmful shredded material, around twice the legal carrying capacity of the vehicles involved.

Two trailers are not currently considered structurally safe to move; therefore, the authority is working with specialist contractors to determine the safest method of removal.

While the total clean-up and disposal costs are not yet known, previously the bill has been £35,000 to £50,000 per trailer.

Cllr Stephen Giles Medhurst, executive member for highways, said: "This is one of the most serious fly-tipping incidents we have seen recently in Hertfordshire. Disposing of hazardous waste in this way is reckless, irresponsible and can be very dangerous.

“This is nothing but a criminal activity that has now cost taxpayers heavily, as we not only had to fund the clean-up but also the disposal of this waste.

“It means less money for carrying out other work. Those responsible have no regard for the environment and local communities. We will do everything possible to support efforts to identify those responsible and recover costs where we can."

“These abandoned trailers are relatively unremarkable in appearance, and I encourage the public, businesses and road users to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity or abandoned trailers. Early reporting can help us and our partners identify incidents more quickly and minimise potential environmental and financial impacts.”

See: Report littering or fly tipping | Hertfordshire County Council.