A STONE yard owner is contesting an enforcement action issued against his business by Bradford Council.

A K Stratford has been running part of its stone reclamation business at Friar's industrial estate in Bradford Road, Idle, on what the Council says is formerly a grass verge.

This formed part of an expansion in 2003 and the site is used for pallets of stone by owner Kurt Stratford.

He was granted retrospective planning permission to run the business in August last year after neighbours complained on noise from the work to tip and reclaim stone at the premises and also complaints of dust from the process.

Mr Stratford, who has been operating on the site since 1994, built a wall and a two-metre high bund to block noise which meant that disturbance appeared to be below the threshold of acceptability. Environmental health officers also confirmed there was no issue with dust to cause problems.

Now he has now lodged an appeal against the Council's enforcement notice with Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

A report to the Council's regulatory and appeals committee states: "The land affected by this notice is immediately to the rear of residential property on Bradford Road and complaints about stone processing operations impacting on residential amenity have been received.

"There is no record of planning permission and an application for a certificate of lawfulness has been refused."

But Mr Stratford says the site was not a grass verge and was formerly unused and overgrown.

He said: "We are challenging it. We have improved the site. I just think this is totally unfair. We have used the land on a daily basis.

"I find this absolutely unbelievable. I have come up against a brick wall with the Council on this issue.

"This has annoyed me. The amount of time and expense all this has taken to do. I have been using this area since 2003. I have to try to get a certificate of lawful use for the site now too."

An enforcement action for the site was noted at a meeting of Bradford Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee on March 18.

The enforcement action was authorised on January 29 this year.

Councillor Geoff Reid (Lib Dem, Eccleshill) said: "It's a difficult situation.

"I have a concern for this over the local economy.

"On the whole, Mr Stratford has been fairly careful in abiding by what has been said but we will just have to see what happens with the Secretary of State's decision now."

A Bradford Council spokesman confirmed the enforcement was noted at the committee meeting last month but said it was unable to comment due to the appeal.