A FARMER warned by the Environment Agency (EA) that he could be breaking the law has told officials he may charge them £150 per hour to visit his home.

Geoff Bean bought £100 of hardcore and tarmac last month to resurface yards and tracks at his farm at Salton, near Kirkbymoorside.

But officials sent a letter warning him his land did not have a Waste Management Licence, and they demanded he get in touch to sort the matter out. Mr Bean wrote to the Government de-partment to protest that he did not believe he was acting illegally.

Now Environment Agency enforcement officer Steve Williamson has written to Mr Bean asking him to contact them within seven days.

"Having spoken to the producer of the material, I am satisfied that it is in fact waste, and therefore its disposal is sub-ject to the above legislation,(Environmental Protection Act 1990)" he wrote in a letter to the farmer on Wednesday, March 12. As a result of this it will still be necessary to ask you questions under caution to establish your involvement and re-sponsibility in this matter."

But Mr Bean said he was not satisfied with the Agency's findings.

"If you have any genuine concerns, (which frankly I doubt) regarding my hard-core/rubble then may I assure you that to the very best of my knowledge and belief it is not radioactive, it does not glow in the dark and I have detected no signs of any green men from Mars with wires sticking out from their heads hiding therein," he wrote in a letter to the en-forcement officer.

"Please be aware that slavery has now been abolished in this country for almost two hundred years now and if you expect me to spare my scarce and pressurised time in order to assist you in a futile at-tempt to justify your totally unjustified red tape and suchlike nonsense, then I expect to be reimbursed accordingly.

"I normally charge £150 per hour or part thereof plus VAT."

A spokesman for the EA said: "The Agency is still looking into the matter relating to the material deposited on the land in question, and has yet to conclude its investigations."

Updated: 10:43 Tuesday, March 18, 2003