Magistrates have ordered that a ton of cheese produced at an award-winning Welsh food centre must be destroyed - because the makers failed to get council approval.

Carmarthenshire Dairy Products opposed the Conwy council application at Llandudno court for a food condemnation order.

But the Food Standards Agency said the company was recalling Boksburg Blue Cheese which had been sold through a limited number of Tesco stores within Wales and England.

A council environmental health officer had made a routine inspection at Bodnant Welsh Food Centre in the Conwy Valley and discovered the dairy was being used by Carmarthenshire Dairy Products.

Sharon Harding said the firm didn’t have council authorisation for cheese-making there.

The officer said she had wanted more information after spotting a range of cheese products on display. Another cheese maker did have approval.

She said cheese had been “detained” and a notice served stopping the blue cheese being sold to the public.

“It’s been produced before approval. That’s why this issue has arisen,” Miss Harding added.

The authority said around 1,100kgs of cheese was involved. Steven Peace, the company’s business manager, said he had been in the industry for 40 years and the firm had consulted the FSA.

But questioned by solicitor Julia Longworth, for the council, he accepted there was no authorisation in Conwy.

He told the court: "We had no intent and no reason to do anything that wasn’t within the law. If a mistake has been made, it was an honest mistake.”

He claimed the application was “more about whose name was above the door.”

Mr Peace said withdrawing the product from the market would impact a business only a few months old.

The council lawyer said :”Potentially the authority could bring criminal proceedings. That’s not the motivation of the authority.”

Court chairman Graham Edwards said : "Approval of Carmarthenshire Dairy Products to produce the blue cheese hasn’t been granted. We therefore have no choice but to grant the application.”

He added :”We do hope the company works closely with Conwy in the future. We wouldn’t want the company to fail.”