Plastic packaging and bottles that consumers believe are going to local recycling plants are ending up buried in India, according to a UK news investigation.

The probe carried out by the Tonight Programme - broadcast on ITV1 on Monday night - found mountains of mixed waste, including plastics, dumped in Indian farmland wells.

Tonight reporter, Mark Jordan travelled to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and discovered wells of British-branded rubbish, estimated to be around 30 feet deep.

The pits contained mixed household waste including crisp bags, supermarket carrier bags, food packaging and plastic juice cartons.

It identified four UK authorities as sources of the waste - Tendring, Wellingborough and Wakefield District Councils, and Leicestershire County Council.

Concerned locals said the pits also contained American waste and that there were at least ten such waste wells. They told the show the illegal dumping had been going on for at least four years. The councils said they were concerned about the findings and promised to investigate.

A related Tonight Show survey revealed that 467 local authorities have no idea what happens to their household collections of recyclable waste after it is sent to their contracted sorting facilities.