ROTTEN egg smells from a Dorset waste tip, prompting scores of complaints from nearby residents, have landed a landfill site operator a £12,500 bill in fines and costs.

The odour was so strong it made Environment Agency officers feel nauseous, Bournemouth magistrates were told.

Landfill site operator Biffa Waste Services of Whites Pit, Magna Road, Wimborne, had pleaded not guilty to keeping waste in or on land in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment.

But, following a trial, district judge Paul Farmer found the company guilty and fined it £7,000 and ordered it to pay £5,881.14 costs.

Prosecuting for the Environment Agency, Julian Wardlaw said officers visited the site on February 1 last year following reports from residents of offensive smells.

"As they entered the site they noticed a septic smell in the air. At a pair of leachate collecting tanks a road tanker was being loaded.

"The tops of the tanks were open and pools of black liquid were visible on the ground. Here the odour was so strong it made the agencyofficers feel nauseous," he said.

The court heard the odour was also smelt on neighbouring roads and at a residential property downwind of the pit.

Staff recognised the odour as the "rotten eggs" smell of hydrogen sulphide.

After the hearing, Mr Wardlaw said: "Biffa clearly failed to prevent the odour problems at this site, which is contrary to their waste management licence and unpleasant for the public.

"We now hope the company will control the smell and take this issue more seriously."

A spokesman for Biffa was unavailable for comment.