Michael and David Armytage own the land at Whittington Moor, but the 10,000 tonnes of rubbish was dumped illegally by two men who leased the property.

The lessees have since been convicted and jailed for the illegal dumping - but the Armytage brothers have been left to foot the clean-up bill.

Derbyshire County Council said the Armytages had legal responsibility for the site.

This site is an eyesore which has attracted a number of complaints and we are anxious to resolve the matter

Derbyshire County Council

"The land is owned by Armytage and Sons Ltd and as landowner they have a legal duty to comply with an enforcement notice to clear the waste," the council said in a written statement.

"This site is an eyesore which has attracted a number of complaints and we are anxious to resolve the matter.

"The county council feels it is difficult to justify using public money to remove this waste.

Treated unfairly

"However, we appreciate that this is a difficult undertaking and with this in mind we remain willing to meet with the landowner again to discuss a way forward to remove the material."

The Armytage brothers believe they have been treated unfairly because they had notified the Environment Agency about the dumping.

They believe the agency should have stopped the dumping sooner.

The clean-up bill is estimated to cost between £250,000 and £350,000.