A BUILDING company has been fined £5,000 for leaving potentially- dangerous waste behind a York club.

Members of the public complained to the Environmental Agency about the pile of builder's rubble behind Heslington Working Men's Club, York magistrates heard.

Jill Fogg, for the agency, told them that when it investigated, an officer found cement, bonded asbestos and a bag containing hydrated lime.

The lime had a high concentration of calcium hydroxide which is a skin and eye irritant.

Russell Construction (York) Ltd, whose head office is in Stamford Bridge, pleaded guilty to keeping controlled waste without a waste management licence.

Magistrates fined it £5,000 plus £996 prosecution costs.

Miss Fogg said the pile behind the club contained typical demolition and building work waste.

For the company, Jackie Knights said it currently employs 30 employees on 20 sites and carries out work for a local authority. The land behind the club was secure and no members of the public could get in.

The company had not intentionally broken the law or put the waste there for financial reasons. A single employee had broken company guidelines by putting rubble there when he could not get it to an approved tip. He had been disciplined and all other staff had been trained in how to handle waste legally. The company no longer used the land. It had a licence to move waste and had moved the waste legally as quickly as possible after the agency investigated.

Updated: 10:43 Friday, June 07, 2002