A St Albans businessman accused of operating an unauthorised waste and storage facility in Essex, where a fire burnt for days in a 15m high, 8,000 tonne pile of woodchip, now faces a Crown Court trial.

Chelmsford Magistrates ruled yesterday that the case of Joshua O'Malley, 26, formerly of Doggerts Way, St Albans, and now of Vale Court, Wheathampstead, and his company Creative Developments and Construct, of Long Cut, Redbourn, should be dealt with at Chelmsford Crown Court.

The ruling followed an application by the Environment Agency for the case to go to the higher court.

O'Malley could be sent to prison and/or face a fine of up to £50,000 if convicted and the company could also be fined up to £50,000.

EA prosecutor Miriam Tordoff said it was alleged that the fire in over 8,000 tonnes of waste wood deposited at Thoby Priory, Mountnessing, near Brentwood, polluted 10km of water course, killing fish. There were also impacts on local residents, she said.

The woodchip pile was said to be 50m by 30m by 15m high. Firefighters were on scene for about three weeks.

The company and O'Malley are each accused of operating a regulated facility, namely a waste operation for the deposit, storage and treatment of waste without being authorised by an environmental permit between 7 May and 16 October 2014.

They are also accused of treating controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution or harm to human health. No pleas have been entered.

A hearing at the Crown Court has been scheduled for November 30.