London Mayor Boris Johnson has vowed to try to halt plans to dump 3.5 million tonnes of London's rubbish in the Sussex countryside.

County residents have been told they will have to accept the waste from the capital over the next 15 years, as part of the South East Plan.

But a report setting out London's waste plans, published by Mr Johnson, said the city should not be dumping waste in landfill sites outside the capital.

It said: "We should manage as much of London's waste as practicable within London and aspire that zero waste goes to landfill outside London. It is especially important that we stop the practice of dumping unsorted rubbish in landfill sites outside the capital."

The contents of the report, Leading to a Greener London, are expected to be reflected in London's waste management strategy, due to be published within the next few months.

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert said the report's emphasis on ending the disposal of waste in landfill sites outside London would be welcomed by residents of West Sussex, which has been told to take 1.92 million tonnes of the capital's waste by 2025. Brighton and Hove and East Sussex have been told to accept 1.65 million tonnes.

Mr Herbert, the Conservative Party's environment spokesman, said: "Boris' statement will be welcomed by communities in West Sussex who face the awful spectre of landfill as London prepares to dump nearly two million tonnes of rubbish in our county. The capital city must deal with its waste in a responsible way."

However, the Mayor's report also states: "We cannot shift waste management practices overnight and need to plan for the transition especially with the boroughs and the regions surrounding London."

Mr Herbert warned that there may be "no immediate change" to the pressure on West Sussex to find landfill sites.

Henry Smith, leader of West Sussex County Council, said: "[Boris's] comments are absolutely the right thing we need to hear from London, which historically has not been good at recycling levels.

“We will be keeping up the pressure and I am happy to work very closely with the mayor's office to see how we can stop waste being exported from London to West Sussex."