AVONMOUTH, UK - A director of EGNI Ltd., a wood processing firm, was cleared of charges of generating clouds of wood dust that were deemed unsafe to area residents.

Edward Jone, co-director of EGNI, was cited by the Environment Agency for breaching an environmental permit. The charge was dismissed by a judge of Bristol Magistrates' Court because of "flawed evidence," according to This Is Bristol.

The charges stemmed from complaints by area residents that wood dust emanating from the EGNI plant blanketing the community last September was "thick and furry" and remained a problem into this year. Some residents complained that breathing the wood dust resulted in an increase in coughs and colds.