The Ham Polo Club, popular with royals and celebrities, has been accused of dumping toxic waste in a conservation area.

Officials at the club have sanctioned digging up an existing all weather exercise track for horses and ponies, which was made from plastic and rubber.

The materials have been used to create a mound – covered in grass - that the club says will be used to allow better viewing of polo matches.

The move has been condemned by residents and one of its former groundsmen, who says the waste poses a threat to the land, wildlife and waterways.

Former groundsman, Charlie Ham, who now lives in Chessington, has written to the council objecting to the decision to dump the hazardous waste on the site.

He says he knows first-hand how harmful and the plastic and rubber materials are.

"I oppose the dumping of hazardous waste of the old track in a London conservation area," he said.

"I was a part of the installation in the maintenance of the so-called disused track which is now disposed of in a conservation area.

"One of my daily duties was to maintain and make sure the track did not contaminate outside the boards as it would noticeably kill any vegetation if not contained.

"I and the club were fully aware if the track was going to be disposed of it should be done in a safe and controlled procedure away from the club and our local conservation area.

"It was imperative that the disused track did not contaminate the club or any surrounding vegetation or wildlife."

He added: "Being a Groundsman, I have professional and ethical responsibilities to wildlife and nature. I would be totally devastated if that plastic and rubber track was left in the grounds of the Polo Club.

"I know the trench along the side of the mound leads down to the River Thames and the flood lands to the river, if not now but definitely through the course of time, it will damage surrounding wildlife.

"I would also say my love of Richmond and its beautiful conservation areas is deep in my heart as I grew up in the area

from birth."

The Club's agent, William Aust, of West Bridgford in Nottingham, has published a study explaining and defending the scheme.

It said the track had to be replaced because it had come to the end of its useful life and argued that keeping the hazardous materials on site is a 'green' option.

The report says: "When the previous track was installed the materials that were used were not sustainable and could not be recycled. The decision was taken to avoid removing the old track from the site, and a more sustainable option was investigated by the club.

"Removing the old track would have consumed much energy and fuel, created traffic congestion in the local area for a period of days, and would also have caused damage to overhanging trees along the access roads due to the size of vehicle that would be required to facilitate the removal of the surface.

"Further to this, the track material cannot be re-used and would therefore have become landfill, which the Club was keen to avoid.

"The Club therefore decided to explore the more sustainable option of how the surface could be used within the estate, to create a raised area for viewing and for kids to play around.

"The removed surface was subsequently scraped from the track and spread in the South West corner of the Jubilee Pitch and has created a bank of approximately 22m wide, 18m long and 1-1.5m high.

"As a precaution, a thick layer of polythene was laid underneath the mound. Grass was then sown over the mound and has since taken very well."

The site is in a conservation area close to the River Thames and is part of the protected 'Arcadian Thames' view from Richmond Hill and historic Ham House.

Prince Charles and his sons, William and Harry, are among the many famous names who have played or visited the club in Ham.

Despite the protected status of the site, all the work has already been completed and the polo club is only now applying for retrospective planning permission from Richmond Borough Council.

Petersham resident, Lily Kelly, asked people via Nextdoor to object to the application.

She said: "The dumped waste mound is a disgrace on many levels.

"Views from the gardens and rooms of Ham House are presented with this serious amount of waste. Walking around the pathways you can no longer see the walls of Ham House.

"The moral ethos is questionable for this to take place in one of the UK's finest Conservation areas, which is appreciated by tens of thousands of people from all over the world."

Ham resident, Danielle Coleman, has made a formal objection.

She said: "It is completely unacceptable for this hazardous material to be dumped on the grounds.

"The plastics contained within this waste material can contain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's), phthalates and lead stearate.

"Weathering can cause leaching of these toxic substances into the wider environment, potentially causing contamination to land and groundwater."

The new track consists of Fibrewax, a mixture of high quality silica sand and natural carpet fibres.

The public can comment on the retrospective planning application - 20/3030/FUL - on the Council website.

The council said: 'The case officer will be assessing the entire case in detail as well as reviewing comments submitted.'