A pile of rubbish dumped on the road near a busy junction was cleared three days after it was discovered.

Fly-tippers left building materials and other debris in The Street, High Ongar, blocking one side of the carriageway approaching the A414 sometime over Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Epping Forest District Council said staff inspected the rubbish on Thursday but initially claimed Essex County Council’s Highways Department was responsible for clearing it.

But Essex County Council passed the matter back to the district council, which cleared the rubbish on Saturday.

A spokeswoman said: “As a principle litter authority, we took the initiative to act on it, as we felt it was a safety issue."

An investigation into the fly-tipping is ongoing.