HORRIFIED firefighters discovered a dozen lambs which had been dumped at a public tip and set on fire last night.

The grisly find was made by officers responding to an emergency call to Brown House tip at Hill End, near Frosterley, in Weardale, County Durham.

Material in three skips was found to have been set on fire in an effort to conceal the dumping of 12 lambs in plastic bags.

Station officer Dave Turnbull said: "It was quite disconcerting for the crew involved. You don't expect that sort of thing.

"The lambs may not have had the disease, but at times like this we have to assume the worst."

The crew, based at Stanhope, had to be treated with disinfectant after the find.

It is not clear whether the animals were infected with foot-and-mouth disease, although a police officer was stationed at the tip to protect the site until Maff officials could arrive this morning to begin investigations.