Environmentalists have complained after mountains of rubbish were allowed to gather at a recycling centre.

Neighbour Jonathan Vernon said there were so many plastic bags stacked by the bins at the top of Edinburgh Road, Seaford, that they were blowing all over the road.

The waste began to build up over the Easter weekend and by Wednesday morning Lewes District Council still had not collected the waste.

Mr Vernon, 45, from nearby Edinburgh Court, said: "The bins were full on Thursday. Over the weekend it just piled high. People have been dumping cardboard boxes and household rubbish there.

"In the past two days all the bags have lifted off the top of the pile and have blown down the street."

He said the neglect had created a "hideous mess" with a "horrible smell".

Householders can leave glass, plastic bags, paper and plastic bottles at the centre.

Andy Bryce, head of waste and recycling services for the council, said everything closed down for the bank holiday.

The council would not be able to collect waste, he said, because there were no licensed sites open to deal with it.

He said the council advertised beforehand asking householders, where possible, not to overload sites with materials.

He said: "We can't pick it up over the weekend because there isn't anywhere to put it."

The recycling centre does not accept cardboard boxes and anyone caught dumping them could be charged with fly tipping.