AN Euxton company has been fined a total of £10,000 for ignoring Chorley Borough Council enforcement notices.

Euxton Precast Limited, Wigan Road, pleaded guilty to 10 charges for failing to adhere to abatement notices under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in a prosecution brought by council officers at the town's magistrates court.

Eight of the charges related to non-compliance with a dust abatement notice and two were for non-compliance with a noise abatement notice. Both were served in 1997.

Magistrates heard how the company's site on Wigan Road is surrounded on three sides by houses.

Notices specifying what the company must do to prevent unreasonable noise and dust nuisance were served and when these were not complied with the prosecution took place.

The court heard mitigation from Euxton Precast Limited that one of the causes of the problems was a truck mixer which has now been taken off the road and they no longer supply ready-mixed cement for collection.

Commenting on the prosecution, councillor Mary Wilson, the council's executive member for community services, said: "The company concerned were given every opportunity to comply with the dust and noise abatement notices. When they failed to do so then we took action.

"People have a right to live in their own homes without being plagued by unreasonable actions like the neighbours of Euxton Precast have been.

"As a council, it is our duty to act on their behalf when necessary and this we will continue to do."