DREDGING work at a nature reserve in Darlington is to stop following complaints about noise from householders prompted a council banning order.

The use of industrial diggers at Drinkfield Marsh sparked a legal battle with Darlington Borough Council that has been ongoing for months.

It followed complaints by people in the Harrowgate Hill area saying they were being disturbed around the clock by the noise of the operation.

Ward councillors Gill Cartwright and Mark Burton were inundated with protests.

Darlington Borough Council has now issued a permanent stop order banning Antony Shepherd, of Albert Hill Skip Hire, from continuing to operate at the site.

Coun Gill Cartwright said: “We have been working very closely with the council’s legal and planning department for more than 18 months following complaints from residents about noise and dust from this site.

“The serving of a permanent stop notice to the operator of this site will stop the digging and excavation activity on the site and will ease some of the misery caused to residents of Harrowgate Farm by this activity which often carried on during the night.

“We have been actively pursuing this course of action with senior officers at the council in order to put an end to this nuisance and are obviously pleased that this had now been served.

“The non-compliance and poor operational practices meant there was a significant potential for pollution of the environment.

“The council had a duty of care to act and credit to the officers who have spent significant amounts of time collating information about the activity on this site. Thanks also go to residents who have sent evidence to the council.”

A spokeswoman for the council said the order banned the site from being used as a waste transfer station, meaning that excavation work cannot continue and materials on the site cannot be moved.

Mr Shepherd said he had appealed against the decision and maintained he was within his rights to work at the site, which is owned by a third party.

“We have full permission of the landowner, of the owner’s son-in-law, and we have the paperwork trail to prove it,” he said.

He denied the work was carried out during unsocial hours.

“It is totally untrue,” he said. “If we wanted to, we could work 24 hours a day, but our hours of work are 7am to 7pm.”

A hearing is to be held in February to establish whether or not the land can be used as a landfill site. The orders in place do not prevent it from being used for this purpose in the meantime.

Coun Cartwright urged residents to contact the council if they want to take part in the hearing.