Furious villagers have slammed those responsible for the 'largest ever fly-tip' near their homes.

Piles of rubbish were dumped on Herrison Road in Charlton Down, near Dorchester, and witnesses described a 'flatbed truck-full' of waste.

In a further twist, is appears the rubbish may have been left there by thieves who'd stolen a vehicle from Weymouth.

A passer-by who flagged up the fly-tipping to the Echo said: “It was disgusting. I drove past and just saw this huge pile of rubbish.

“There was glass everywhere and I was just concerned about dog walkers.”

The rubbish remained in situ for four days when two council workers came to remove the mess. 

A spokesperson from Charminster parish council said: “It was reported on Sunday, January 7, and removed by Dorset Council very quickly.

The spokesperson went on to say that they thought the rubbish was from a ‘recent building job’ saying that there was a ‘flatbed truck full’ of waste.

They added: “Fly-tipping is such a blight on our countryside and certainly seems to be getting worse.”

Dorset Echo:

A number of menus from Weymouth restaurant Enzo were found amongst the rubbish. The Echo contacted the restaurant's owner, Vincenzo Piscopo, who was shocked to see them there.

He spoke with builders on his site who take away rubbish for him, and they explained the work vehicle they use to transport waste had been stolen a few days earlier.

Dorset Police has confirmed officers are investigating the theft of a vehicle taken from Weymouth.

A spokesman for the force said: "We received a report at approximately 2.10pm on Sunday, January 7 of the theft of a vehicle in Radipole Lane.

"The incident occurred between 9pm and 10pm on Thursday, January 4. Enquiries will be carried out to establish what happened. No arrests have been made."

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said it received multiple reports of the fly-tip on January 7. 

"There was around a transit-van load - including carpet offcuts, insulation, green bags, and black bags of waste - and required two operatives to fully clean up," said the spokesperson.

"Everything was removed by Friday, January 12."

If you have any information about the fly-tip, you can contact Dorset Council online or call 01305 221040.

"Where there is sufficient evidence, the council will investigate reported incidents and attempt to trace and prosecute/fine anyone found to be fly-tipping," it said.