Householders Samantha Wright and Michael Hurn got more than they bargained for when they started digging their garden.

The couple, who are Sarsen Housing Association tenants, have unearthed a heap of rubbish that was buried beneath their lawn.

Mr Hurn, 38, a courier driver, began digging last Thursday and the rubbish found has filled nearly 30 black bags but they expect to find more as only a quarter of the lawn has been dug.

The couple have lived at their three bedroom terraced house in Corn Close, Poulshot, for almost a year with baby son Lewis and Miss Wright’s six-year-old daughter Kirstin.

They started work on the garden as they wanted to level it for their children to play on.

Miss Wright, 30, said: “The garden is quite bumpy so we wanted to level it out. I’m horrified by the rubbish that is there. We are supposed to live in a civilised society, this is like a third world country.

“There are used nappies, medical gloves, saucepans, plates, toys, bottles, cups, smashed glass and rusting tins. It’s decomposing and it stinks. It’s as though whoever buried it never put out any refuse for the binmen.

Miss Wright contacted Sarsen and Wiltshire Council’s environmental health department and both sent out officials to her home last Friday.

Miss Wright is unhappy that Sarsen has not taken away the unearthed rubbish.

A spokesman for Sarsen told the Gazette: “The environmental health officer declared there was nothing toxic or dangerous about it. Had there been anything toxic the materials would have been removed straight away.

“The arrangement with the tenants was that we would go back after they had finished digging to see how much rubbish there was and to arrange the best way of getting rid of it.”

A housing officer was due to go back yesterday.

The house was built in 1976 and was a Kennet District Council house until transferring to Sarsen in 1995.

The current tenants are the eighth tenants of the house.

The Sarsen spokesman said in 2006 there was an issue regarding litter at the house but the problem was cleared up after Sarsen and an environmental health officer got involved.