Demolition contractors at the scene of a building collapse which caused havoc in Hounslow last week have admitted breaching restrictions on working hours.

A council officer visited the site in London Road, Hounslow, yesterday (Friday, July 24) to follow up complaints from neighbouring residents about noisy work taking place outside the agreed hours of 8am and 6pm.

Brendon Walsh, the council's regeneration worker said a site manager admitted work had been starting before 8am all week but promised to stick to the agreed hours from now on.

The council has served contractor GBM UK with a notice, under section 60 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974, meaning it faces a fine if it works outside 8am-6pm on weekdays and 8am-1pm on Saturdays.

Mr Walsh said the council was also aware of complaints about dust getting into neighbouring homes and if this continued to be a nuisance it would serve a separate notice under Section 80 of the Environmental  Protection Act 1990.

A large section of an empty office block at the site collapsed as it was being demolished last Tuesday (July 15) , sending debris crashing into the grounds of Hounslow bus garage. London Road was closed for several hours following the incident, though nobody was injured.

GBM UK is carrying out the work for Tesco, which owns the land and wants to build a residential development, including a 21-storey tower, there.

A spokeswoman for GBM UK said: "We have seen the council and are working with them. They are happy with progress at the moment.

"We apologise if the works have been carried out before 8am. There was a cross-over with managers on the site, which is probably the reason. We're trying to manage the dust and keep it to a minimum."

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating the cause of last Tuesday's collapse and has served a prohibition notice banning demolition work on Hounslow House, the main building on the site, until safety improvements are in place.

In the meantime, the contractor has been allowed to clear any debris on the floor and continue the destruction of the smaller one and two-storey buildings on the grounds.

* Anyone with concerns about work on the site is asked to call the council's pollution team on 020 8583 5555 or to email pollution@hounslow.gov.uk