IVORY Plant Hire's company secretary and director have appeared before a judge charged with illegally dumping waste at sites across Worcestershire.

John Bruce and Ann Gartlan were accused of dumping wood, metal, bricks, tyres, concrete, soil, plastic and electric cable at Warndon, Stoulton and Bishampton, near Evesham, a layby at Earl's Croome, near Upton-on-Severn, and Bushley, near Tewkesbury.

Bruce, who was company secretary of Ivory Plant Hire, of The Crabbe Yard, Wadborough, director Gartlan and Andrew Vorwerg, a driver with the company, face trial by jury at a date to be fixed.

Sixteen charges were put to the trio at Worcester Crown Court.

Bruce, aged 29, of Enid Blyton Corner, Droitwich, denied seven charges of depositing controlled waste on land without a duty of care licence and denied two charges of forgery.

Gartlan, 37, of the same address, denied eight charges of illegally depositing controlled waste.

Vorwerg, 38, of Cherrington, Drakes Broughton, denied one charge of illegally depositing waste.

The charges span the period from August 1999 to May 2000. More than 70 witnesses are involved in the case.

The company was liquidated earlier this year.

Defence counsel made it known they wanted the trial moved from Worcester to an alternative venue in Birmingham or Wolverhampton.

But they were cut short by Judge John Cavell, who said an application would have to be made by a High Court judge, and so did not reveal their reasons for wanting the shift.

He remanded Bruce in custody and gave Gartlan and Vorwerg bail.

Covic Construction, which was leased Crabbe Yard by Ivory Plant Hire, was charged earlier this year with contravention of an enforcement notice relating to large-scale tipping.