The streets of Naples and the surrounding towns were piled high with rubbish after waste disposal centres announced that they had reached maximum capacity.

The UK Guardian reports that officials were preparing to transport rubbish to the north amid fears that the Naples mafia was planning to cash in on waste disposal business.

About 20,000 tonnes of rubbish has piled up in towns across the Campania region over the past two weeks after the announcement by the waste disposal centres. Over the weekend, locals set fire to hundreds of overflowing bins which posed such a health hazard that schools had to be closed. Authorities warned that the protests could have been orchestrated by the local mafia, the Camorra, which they said is waiting to pick up any new contracts for waste disposal services.

Two incinerators were supposed to open in the region this year, but their construction has been delayed. Local residents are campaigning against the plants. Luisa Bossa, mayor of Herculaneum, warned regional authorities seeking a quick solution to "keep their eyes open," because "the Camorra could have an interest in resolving the problem by indicating land it owns where rubbish could be dumped".

Naples planned to transport waste to Bologna in the north. Angelo Alessandri, head of the Northern League in the Emilia-Romagna region said: "They are packaging up their rubbish and bringing it up here. In the north, we invest ... in the south they count on the good faith ... of the people of the north. It's unacceptable."