A construction firm that carried out unsafe demolition works by littering the site with smashed up asbestos materials has been fined more than £45,000.

AA Construction was carrying out work in Quintin Avenue near Wimbledon Chase station in February 2011 when the breaches were made.

Residents raised their concerns with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that asbestos material was being dropped from a height onto the road and footpath and that the site, which was near to a school, was insecure.

The company was prosecuted by the HSE who said they had failed to plan the work properly and had not carried out an asbestos survey endangering the safety of their workers and the public.

The HSE also said inexperienced labourers had been hired by the company to carry out the demolition and asbestos removal and were not given sufficient instruction, training, or supervision.

The company, based in Harrow, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £36,000, a £15 surcharge and £9,159 in costs at Westminster Magistrates on October 24.

Helen Donnelly, HSE Inspector said: "Members of the public rightly raised concerns about the unsafe working practices they witnessed at Quintin Avenue, and I applaud them for doing so.

"AA Construction (London) Ltd took a reckless approach to demolition, which could have resulted in a serious incident.

"Construction projects need to properly planned and safely managed by competent personnel using the right procedures and equipment.

"That clearly didn't happen here, and I hope lessons have been learned."