Liz Brailsford, 65, of Long Street, Foston, spent hours packing up her 94-year-old aunt's tatty furniture and rubbish last week, after her aunt moved to a residential home in Norfolk.

But staff at the household waste recycling centre in Alexandra Road told her they would allow her to leave one load but she could not return, as the waste did not belong to her.

Mrs Brailsford said: "I really and truly could never previously understand why someone who did fly-tip would go to the effort of driving to the countryside and dumping it. Now I understand why they do it."

Matthew Michell, operations manager for waste services at Lincolnshire County Council, said: "As is the case nationally, Lincolnshire County Council provides household waste recycling centres for members of the public to recycle or dispose of their own household waste.

"In order to protect council taxpayers' money, and under the terms of our site licences, we have the duty to turn away anyone with non-household waste or with household waste which is not their own."

Mr Michell said people would be allowed to dump waste at centres under some circumstances, such as situations where elderly or disabled relatives are unable to make the trip themselves.

He said the council is investigating Mrs Brailsford's circumstances.

As her aunt's house has been sold and another family is waiting to move in, Mrs Brailsford says she is stuck with the rubbish and has no idea what to do with it.

Although there is a tip in Bottesford, just a few miles from Foston, anyone living in Lincolnshire cannot dispose of their waste there as Bottesford is a Leicestershire village.

CLICK HERE to email us your YOUR NEWS or your views on the news.