A pub owner who dumped asbestos while refurbishing one of his bars in Seaford has been fined £4,000 with £1,426 costs.

Steven Brumwell, of the Beachcomber in Marine Parade, admitted being responsible for dumping a skip full of waste containing brown and white asbestos at a yard in Newhaven last June.

He was prosecuted after an investigation by the Environment Agency.

Martin Davies, the agency's solicitor, said: "All those handling potentially dangerous waste are responsible for making sure it is disposed of safely and legally."

Brumwell told magistrates he had been unaware the material was asbestos.

He said if he had known he would have disposed of it properly. He had subsequently spent a substantial sum disposing of it properly.