Rusting drums containing potentially-explosive cyanide, illegally stored in a house garage, were guarded by police until removed.

The 28 one-and-a-half tonne drums were put under 24-hour police guard until they were taken away by the environment services team.

The mixture of sodium cyanide is toxic and can become explosive when wet.

It was removed carefully and disposed of by a specialist hazardous waste company, supervised by council officers.

The council was alerted to the cyanide storage on October 22, with the environment services team removing the hazardous waste with Surrey Police across October 25 to 26.

Councillor Glenn Dearlove, portfolio holder for environment, said: "Suburban backyard garages are often home to piles of old newspapers or boxes of childhood memories, however this discovery in a busy urban area in Elmbridge was quite a surprise.

"There was no threat to surrounding residents while the hazardous chemicals were in a stable environment, however, it was imperative that the council and police worked hand in hand in this joint operation to ensure the waste was removed quickly, and more importantly, safely.

"The removal and disposal of waste is the responsibility of the land owner and they will meet the cost of this removal, however the council was able to take the lead in coordinating the exercise due to our officers' knowledge of environmental guidelines and to ensure all safety measures were met."