A curious ram shut down a rubbish dump in Basildon.

The nosey sheep wandered into Pitsea Recycling Centre, causing staff to hurriedly remove customers from the facility.

The incident happened yesterday, (Friday 24 November) and a spokesperson for Essex County Council said: "A ram nicknamed Roger wanted to learn about recycling household waste. Members of the public were evacuated for their safety.

"Staff gently detained Roger once he had completed his inspection of the site.

"Thank you to all staff on site at Pitsea for their quick thinking and action under pressure.

"The recycling centre is back open as usual and not at all 'rammed'."

Leigh Perry, manager of the nearby Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society, helped corral the goat, which belongs to a local.

"It took a couple of us as the goat was not very co-operative," she told the BBC.