A LANDOWNER has been ordered to pay almost £1,000 for failing to remove an "unsightly and dangerous" pile of rubble.

Richard Colwill, of Dingle Farm, in Little Witley, pleaded guilty to breaching a Community Protection Notice issued by Malvern Hills District Council when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates’ Court.

The council was alerted last September about the huge pile of rubble on land next to Dingle Farm.

Although the rubble was on Mr Colwill’s land, concerns were raised because the pile looked unsightly and was considered dangerous due to its closeness to a lay-by and a public footpath.

Mr Colwill, aged 73, was given until the end of December to comply, but by February 6, no progress had been made and the council decided to prosecute.

In mitigation, the court heard Mr Colwill had planned to have the rubble broken down and used to repair trackways on his farm, but weather conditions deteriorated and the ground he intended to operate on became too soft.

He said while he was permitted to store waste and had the relevant permission from the Environment Agency, he accepted it should be done without impacting on the surrounding countryside. He added that some rubble had already been removed.

Mr Colwill was fined £267 and ordered to pay £700 costs and a £30 victim surcharge when he appeared in court on Thursday, March 2.

Speaking to the Worcester News this week, Mr Colwill said that he would have complied with the notice, but the weather made that "impossible".

He said: "We had a huge amount of rain in November, and that made it completely impossible to move the rubble without damaging the soil.

"The soil was way over-full with water and would have been damaged if we had tried to remove the rubble."

Cllr Bronwen Behan, the council's portfolio holder for environment, said: “This rubble mound was both unsightly and dangerous due to its position near the right of way and a road.

"We have a duty to protect our communities from behaviour which impacts on their quality of life.

“While we’ll always look to work with people in the first instance, we will not hesitate to prosecute those that fail to take their responsibilities seriously.”