A tourist group has been ordered to stop removing tonnes of mud from a hillside in a Welsh valley.
Blaenau Gwent Council has issued a “cease and desist notice” to the landowner after locals raised concerns that excavation could cause landslides.
Earth has been removed from a sloping field next to Nantyglo Rugby Club in Blaenau Gwent, South Wales.
Work has been underway for more than a week and residents have been complaining about the heavy machinery since late March.
Planning authorities issue cease and desist notices when there are concerns about breaches of planning rules.
The notice is valid for 28 days.
A spokesman for Blaenau Gwent Council told the BBC: “We believe the unauthorized excavation of this land breaches planning controls.
“This includes importing materials, building dikes and re-zoning the area.
“The (cessation) notice requires the immediate cessation of specified activities.”
The council also said it had commissioned independent experts to assess the stability of the land but concluded there was no immediate risk to properties in the area.
Before the cease and desist notice was issued, some 874 people signed a petition calling for an end to the “unauthorized occupation” of the land.
One person said: “Why do people ride roughshod over planning regulations?
“If this ends up happening, it will be the taxpayers who foot the bill.
“The council must take immediate action to stop these unauthorized land works.”
Another said: “Not only is this morally wrong but the risk of the road collapsing due to the close excavation is greatly increased.
“They’re digging along this road and it’s very busy.”
The site’s owner told the BBC the land would be used for grazing horses, but did not deny future plans to turn it into a settlement.
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