Waste firm in the dock

HUNDREDS of tonnes of controlled waste was illegally dumped on the site of a former coal mine, a jury has been told.

Residents claimed that up to six 20-30 tonne lorries full of waste were tipped at the former Woodend Colliery, near Armadale, West Lothian, each day.

John Erskine and James Grant complained that material other than permitted by the site’s waste licence was being disposed of.

Livingston Sheriff Court was told an investigation led to proceedings being taken against Gary Doonin, 47, of Blantyre, and and his Cambuslang-based company Doonin Plant Ltd.

Doonin and his firm deny four charges that they disposed of controlled waste between January 17 and March 16, 2010, in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health. The trial continues.