A plastics company has been ordered to pay more than £40,000 for pumping more than three times the legal amount of pollutants into the atmosphere.

Maier UK in Burntwood admitted breaching the solvent emissions limit of its council-issued environmental permit. It has also agreed to spend £880,000 investing in new machinery to avoid further problems.

Cannock Magistrates Court heard that the Spanish-owned company emitted 66 tons of solvent into the atmosphere – 47 tons over its agreed annual limit.

The factory, which manufactures and paints plastic car parts, was found out following routine inspections by Lichfield District Council.

Officers from the environmental health department saw that the firm was exceeding its limit of around 19 tons when they examined its record sheets.

After the company failed to change its manufacturing processes in order to bring the emissions back in line, the authority started court proceedings.

Maier UK was fined £26,500 and ordered to pay costs of £13,973 by magistrates.

The plant on Atwood Road, which has a turnover of around £16 million and employs about 180 people, supplies the UK and Northern European automotive sector.

Part of the international Maier Group, it is a first-tier manufacturer of plastic injection-moulded and body-coloured painted parts for the car industry.

The environmental permit requires certain industrial businesses to record their annual emissions. The council first issued a formal caution in 2004.

The authority then agreed to two 18-month compliance plans to allow the company reasonable time to make the plant changes.

However, due to the complexity of the automotive industry, regular management changes and a lack of investment, both these plans failed, the court heard.

Following the 2009-2010 results, which found the company was emitting 46 tons of solvents over its agreed annual limit, the council interviewed the management under caution before deciding to prosecute.

Maier UK has since committed to making the factory compliant.

Councillor Ian Pritchard said it had been a lengthy investigation.

“We are pleased this case has been successfully resolved,” he said. “It’s our role to make sure companies fulfil their responsibility towards the environment, and this prosecution shows how important it is that businesses comply with environmental standards. We’re encouraged that, as a result of these proceedings, the company has committed to investing around one million euros into making the changes.”