The Government has denied suggestions that construction-site waste is being illegally dumped in a national park.

The denial has been backed up by Westend Properties, the company overseeing major renovation work at the nearby Fairmont Southampton hotel.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Public Works and Environment addressed concerns raised over a mountain of horticultural waste on the south shore boundary of Southlands in Warwick.

In addition, a mix of rubble and chopped-down foliage has built up on the western border of the beauty spot.

One regular visitor to the park said they had examined the giant pile of deadwood and leaf litter and discovered that it also contained construction-site waste.

The park user, who asked not to be named, told The Royal Gazette: “I cannot understand how this could benefit the Southlands property.

“When they dumped a pile of rubble in the western-side bushes over a year ago, they claimed that they did so for a neighbouring property to use the rubble to build a boundary wall.

“That has not happened and the rubble remains, although a lot of horticultural waste is piling up on that same border.”

According to the ministry spokesman, the mountain was formed from horticultural waste collected from within the park grounds.

He said: “The horticultural material located at Southlands was generated by ongoing improvement work within the park itself.

“It has been temporarily stockpiled in preparation for the planned construction of a landscaped berm, which will provide a natural privacy and security buffer for neighbouring properties.

“This proposal is under review by the Department of Planning.”

The spokesman confirmed that rubble was delivered to the site to help with landscaping in part of the park.

However, the material has now been deemed unnecessary and is being removed.

The spokesman said: “The rubble on site was initially considered for use in the berm’s construction.

“We are aware that over a year ago, a small quantity of rubble was placed by a third-party contractor on private property adjacent to Southlands. This material was intended to assist in the creation of a berm for landscaping purposes.

“We understand that the placement occurred with the property owner’s permission at that time.

“However, recognising concerns about the appearance of the material, the contractor has confirmed that it is in the process of removing the rubble. This removal is being managed privately and is expected to be completed imminently.

“We can confirm that no ongoing dumping of construction debris from third-party developments has been permitted at Southlands National Park.

“All demolition waste from nearby projects has been properly managed through authorised disposal channels such as the airport or quarry.”

Last night, a spokeswoman for Westend Properties said that some debris from the site had been moved temporarily to a property neighbouring the park.

She said: “We can confirm that some demolition waste was placed on private property adjacent to the park.

“This was done with the property owner’s permission and was meant to assist with the creation of a berm for landscaping purposes. Those materials have recently been removed.

“As the trenching and demolition at the Fairmont Southampton property continues, the waste produced is being assessed on site and whenever possible, the materials are being reused.

“Anything that can’t be reused is being disposed of as required — at the airport or the quarry.