A DEMOLITION company was yesterday fined £700 for dumping building waste on a farm and failing to keep accurate paperwork.

Tyne Tees Demolition Limited admitted depositing timber recovered from a demolition site on unauthorised land and two counts of having false details on transfer notes.

The company, which is based on the Faverdale Industrial Estate, in Darlington, was working for the Ministry of Defence demolishing Army barracks at Catterick last October.

A driver from the company was approached by a local farmer who asked for any unwanted wood to be saved and taken to his farm, in Catton, Thirsk, to be used to rebuild chicken huts.

When delivered, on October 15, farm staff did not realise the wood was meant for re-use and burned it, which brought it to the attention of Environment Agency inspectors.

Upon investigation the agency was given two transfer notes which suggested material was delivered to an authorised Darlington plant. However, the company denied receiving material on these dates.

Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court was told that the driver concerned was inexperienced and that workers had created the two notes to cover themselves, and instead landed the company in more trouble.

Joseph O'Brien, mitigating, said that Tyne Tees Demolition Limited had since issued workers with copies of regulations and that the firm had not secured MoD contracts since the incident.

The company was fined £200 for illegally depositing waste and £250 for both charges of false information on transfer notes. It was also ordered to pay £600 costs.