Castle blames planners for £100k pollution fine

Bungling planners cost Castle Cement a UK£100,000 fine after magistrates found it guilty of pollution in north Wales, the company claimed last week. Castle lashed out in a bitter row with the Environment Agency (EA) over who is to blame for the pollution.

North Wales magistrates last month found the company guilty of hiding the truth about excessive pollution levels at Padeswood. The EA accused Castle of exceeding levels of dioxins, failing to keep it informed when levels went over the limit, and failing to take "representative" samples from its kilns.

The spokesman said Castle does not want to appeal against the Mold magistrates’ decision. He said: "We won’t be taking it any further in terms of a magistrates’ appeal, but we are disappointed and frustrated. We informed the EA and it took quite a few years for the permission to come through."

An EA spokesman said: "The matter has been dealt with by the Magistrates’ Court and the fines have been imposed. We’ve nothing further to say about the court case, as far as we’re concerned the matter’s closed."