A MAMMOTH pile of waste that has been overshadowing homes in Brierley Hill must be removed completely by next summer - a court has ruled.

An injunction was granted by the High Court in Birmingham on Monday (December 10) ordering Refuse Derived Fuel Ltd in Moor Street to clear all rubbish from the site by July 1 2013.

The firm must also hurry to clear the section of the site visible from the main gate by March 2013.

If it fails to clear what’s left of the mound, which stood at 40 foot earlier this year, the company and its director Robert McNaughton could be fined, have assets seized or face a possible prison sentence.

David Hudson, the Environment Agency’s environment manager, said he was pleased the latest High Court ruling on the matter had resulted in an injunction against RDF.

He added: “This marks significant progress in the case as the company must now completely remove all of the waste on site.

“I understand the frustration of local residents that they still have to wait for the site to be completely cleared, but the scale of the operation means that complete removal will take time.

“We will be checking that material removed is taken to a legitimate disposal site and will keep residents informed about progress on site.”

Back in October the court heard more than 200 tonnes of waste had already been removed from the site, which has been plaguing residents living in its shadow.

The company now has just three months to comply with the first part of the injunction and a total of seven to clear the site completely.