HAZARDOUS waste could end up being illegally dumped across Lancashire because there are not enough specialist landfill sites in the North West, according to a local MEP.

A law change in July 2004 will see a widening of the hazardous waste definition, meaning agricultural waste and electrical equipment including fluorescent tubes and computers must be treated before being dumped.

But by next year, the number of specialist dumps in the North West will have dropped from 21 to just three.

Liberal Democrat Chris Davies said: "Hazardous waste should not have been mixed with inert materials for so long. But now Europe has legislated to tackle this problem the British Government must put measures in place to allow for its safe disposal. They have had four years to make arrangements for safe disposal of hazardous waste and it is a disgrace that so little has been done."

Environment Agency statistics show that in 2001, 157,032 tonnes of hazardous waste was produced in Lancashire.