Basildon pet shop and garden centre operators Manor Koi have been fined £5,300 for failing to dispose of asbestos properly.

Directors Martin and Michael Green pleaded guilty at Basildon Magistrates Court to three charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Environmental Damage (Prevention and Remediation) Regulations 2009.

The court was asked to take into account that the firm was facing financial hardship and had co-operatied fully with the investigation.

In addition to the fines, full costs of £1,021 were awarded to the council, plus a £15 victim surcharge.

The offences came to light in June 2011 after sheet material from demolished buildings on the site had been crushed and spread across land by vehicles over three to four weeks. Tests showed the material was ‘white asbestos’. The waste was later safely removed from the site after interverntion by council officers.

Councillor Richard Moore, Basildon Council cabinet member with responsibility for environmental health, said: "Sometimes, as a last resort and in the best interests of the general public, we are left with no choice but to prosecute."