The stinking rubbish was left on Spalding Road, in Deeping St James, near Market Deeping, at 9.30am yesterday, when the bin lorry suffered a mechanical problem, causing the rubbish to spew out of the back.

Along with the obvious health hazard left outside their front doors, residents said they were concerned that motorists could lose control of their cars.

Karen Clare (38), who lives in the house next to where the lorry was parked, said: "The lorry just dumped the rubbish on the road and the men left it there.

"The rubbish has been blown and moved down the road. I don't want it near my house."

To prevent cars from skidding off the road, Mrs Clare parked her car in front of the spillage with the hazard lights on.

She said: "In the morning, this is a very busy road, and children walk along it to and from school.

"We saw a couple of cars swerving to avoid the mess, and were worried that someone would lose control of their car and crash."

Just over an hour after the spill, a second bin lorry finished the round, and shortly afterwards the mess was cleared up.

A spokesman for South Kesteven District Council apologised for the incident, and said: "The bin lorry had a mechanical fault, which meant that rather than taking the waste into the lorry, it was throwing it out.

"The bin men cleared up what they could, but because of the weather conditions, they thought it best to report the problem back to the office staff, who then arranged for a street cleaner to clear up the road. This happened as quickly as possible after the call, at 10.40am.

"The bin lorry has been repaired."