'I flew back here from London a few days ago as soon as I could clear commitments there,' said Mr Lam, one of several owners whose land was covered in the rubbish dumped illegally six weeks ago.

'I was last here seven months ago and checked the property to ensure that there were no problems. But I was stunned when I saw the same land at the weekend - the whole site has been ruined, buried under rubble and rubbish.

'On top of all this I have received a warning letter from the Planning Department saying that if I don't clear the site by the deadline I will face a fine up to HK$500,000.

'Nobody gave permission for the land to be used for the dumping. It's not our fault or responsibility. We are the victims, and yet we are to be prosecuted. How can this happen in Hong Kong? It is ridiculous.'

Mr Lam and other affected landowners have engaged a lawyer to put their case to the Planning Department and Environmental Protection Department (EPD). He has also contacted both departments and told them he is innocent.

Thousands of tonnes of construction waste were deposited at Ting Kok Tsuen between April 10 and 18 by a fleet of dump trucks, despite villagers' protests to the drivers and complaints to three government departments.

The Planning Department said last week a stop notice was issued on May 14 to the owner of the trucking company allegedly responsible for the dumping, requiring all material to be removed by June 25, and notices were issued to the registered owners of the land.

Another owner, Pang Chi-on, whose 85-year-old mother, Law Tung-tai, is the only member of the family still living at the village, flew in from the Netherlands.

'Someone has used our land as a refuse dump without our consent,' said an angry Mr Pang, one of three brothers living overseas.

Mr Lam and Mr Pang are optimistic that despite the red tape they are now ensnarled in, the government will conduct a thorough investigation and eventually prosecute the company responsible for the dumping.

'Now the Planning Department and EPD have identified the culprit, we are hopeful the company and its owner will be forced to bear the immense clear-up cost as well as the legal expenses,' Mr Lam said.

Tai Po district councillor Yau Wing-kwong, who had previously seen the police over the issue, has arranged another meeting tomorrow with the Tai Po district commander, four councillors and two villagers. The purpose is to sort out some discrepancies in police reports.

'Police records supposedly show that dumping activity stopped when they arrived on site and both villagers and truck drivers reached a consensus. However, it's not true and that's why villagers kept calling for help after the police left,' Dr Yau said.

'If the police had taken firm action at the outset, this whole disaster would have been avoided. Villagers are enraged at suggestions that they struck a deal with the drivers. First, the trucks arrived and began dumping 600-odd loads of rubble on their land without any permission, then they call the police and the other departments - all of whom sat on their hands and did nothing.'

A spokesman for the EDP said some landowners had confirmed that dumping had not been authorised.