A Hampshire construction company was prosecuted on Monday by the Environment Agency dumping waste illegally on land at Copythorne and failing to provide correct documentation as requested.

Swanwick Construction Group Ltd pleaded not guilty to the charge that they deposited a lorry load of waste on 28 September 2006, but was fined a total of £33,000 and £1800 costs at Lyndhurst Magistrates' Court.

The Environment Agency was made aware on 6 September 2006 that landraising works were being carried out on the land adjacent to 'Copperfields', Pollards Moor Lane, Copythorne, which is within is within the New Forest National Park boundary.

Agency officers visited the site and found that the landowner had employed J & W Demolition and Recycling Ltd for the purposes of raising the levels and they were found to be using waste material - consisting of wood, soils, concrete, bricks, plastics and tarmac.

Any company that carries or dumps waste must ensure the facility that they take the waste to is properly licensed by the Environment Agency. The site at Copythorne had no licences or planning permission .

The company was also requested, under a legal notice, to provide copies of the transfer notes for all loads deposited at the site, which they failed to provide.

The defendants argued that they had not been in control of the vehicle when the tip had taken place and stated that it was on lease to another company - J & W Demolition and Recycling Ltd. However, the court heard that the two companies have the same director, a Mr Christopher Collins, and rejected the claim.

James Humphrys, Area Manager for the Environment Agency said: "We are very pleased with the outcome of the case. The legislation exists to protect the environment and this result highlights why companies need to comply with the relevant legal requirements when disposing of waste. We have already prosecuted the landowner in June for allowing the contractors to dump waste on his site."

"This case should serve as a deterrent to other criminal activity and show that the Environment Agency takes these offences extremely seriously."