Oh dear....
I've just been up in the loft and found this. It's about the size of two soccer balls...so not a small one...
It looks oldish...and there are a couple of dead waspies up there, but I don't know about these things.
I do know that poking it with a short stick ISN'T the recommended way to check if it is active...and this goes double because to get away from it I have to get from one side of the loft to the other, then drop down onto a free standing ladder....which is not good for a quick get away.
A well, a trip to the DIY store should fix the problem....or I call the council on Monday.