A haulage company which runs a waste transfer site in Watford has been issued with a caution.

Hertfordshire County Council issued the Simple Caution to Holywell Haulage Ltd, which runs the transfer station in Ascot Road, as an alternative to possible prosecution.

The Ascot Road site, opposite the Royal Mail delivery centre, is subject to temporary planning permission for the materials handling and recycling operations carried out there.

Several notices were served on the operators last year to make them comply with this planning permission. And in June, Herts CC gave the operators two Breach of Condition Notices, the first concerning the landscaping conditions and the second concerning issues such as the height of stockpiles of waste materials and dust escaping from the site.

Liz Murray, 21, regularly cycles along Ascot Road. She said sometimes there is so much dust near the Holywell Haulage site that she has to shut her eyes.

"It was horrible," she said. "I used to hate cycling down there because of all the dust."

According to the county council, Holywell Haulage ignored the Breach of Condition Notices it received and the height of the stockpiles increased. A written warning also had little effect.

In response, the county council issued a Temporary Stop Notice in December, to reduce the numbers of lorries using the site to try to maintain road safety and also help bring down stockpile levels at the site.

In January, county council officers interviewed a representative from Holywell Haulages who admitted mistakes had been made. As the company was now complying with the terms of the notices, the county council decided not to bring a prosecution.

The caution at the Ascot Road site will apply for a period of five years and can be cited if necessary to prosecute the operators for any similar breaches during that time.

A spokesman from Holywell Haulage said that the company was now striving to comply with the conditions imposed on it.