A Wirral waste company has been given a £4,000 fine after breaching its environmental permit.

Casey Ltd, based on Moreton industrial estate, was prosecuted by the Environment Agency after it was found to be illegally disposing of waste by burning it.

A permit details the conditions which a company must operate within to ensure protection of the environment.

The permit for Casey clearly stated that “no material (waste or not) will be burnt on site and any fires will be treated as an emergency. There are fire extinguishers available on site.”

A neighbouring business-owner provided the agency with video footage from two separate occasions showing a large bonfire on the Casey site.

Smoke and ash "caused a nuisance to other local business" and several calls were received on the agency's incident hotline.

Karen Glasgow, environment manager, said: “Everyone who disposes of waste has a duty of care to ensure their waste is handled correctly.

"If you don’t dispose of your waste correctly you risk being prosecuted and fined."

The agency said the firm admitted the offence, which came before Wirral Magistrate's Court today.