Farmers in North Wiltshire are dumping carcasses in ditches and leaving them to rot to avoid paying a disposal charge.

Trading Standards have been called out to deal with eight illegally dumped animals in the area in the last week alone.

Steve Clover, Wiltshire Trading Standards manager said: "It is alarming the way it is escalating and it is not acceptable. Not only is this behaviour anti-social, there is also a potential disease risk to wildlife and humans."

Mr Clover believes a new European legislation, banning farmers from burying dead animals on their land, has lead to the increase in illegal dumping of dead livestock.

The EU legislation, which should become law by the end of May, states farmers must dispose of dead livestock, known as fallen stock, at appropriate sites such as a knackers yard, hunt or incinerator.

"I can understand the farming community being concerned that there has been a change to farming practices which have existed for hundreds of years," said Mr Clover.

But he said dumping animals was illegal and carries a maximum fine of £5,000.

"If we find sufficient evidence we will consider prosecution," he said. The Government is trying to introduce a scheme where farmers pay an annual subscription fee, between £50 and £200 depending on the size of their farm, to have any number of their fallen stock collected and legally disposed.

But the Government has failed to get the scheme up and running before the EU legislation becomes law.

Farmers are therefore dumping animals illegally because they do not want to pay the price of legal disposal.

Farmer Nigel Parfitt from Rodbourne said: "There is nothing wrong with burying animals on farms. We bury humans in the ground so why can't we do the same with animals?"

But he said he was shocked to hear that animals were being dumped illegally.

"Farmers would be appalled to hear this and I would be very surprised if people are doing this. It is appalling," he said.

Although the new legislation should be introduced by the end of the month it may be three months before a national collection scheme is started.

The Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs has said in the meantime farmers must find their own way to dispose of their fallen stock at legal sites.