One mining company has received a $13,000 fine coupled with $24,000 in costs after one of its mine blasts led to the release of offensive fumes.

Wambo Coal pleaded guilty to the incident at its Hunter region coal mine in July 2012.

Courts found that offensive blast fumes spread out from the mine site to nearby Jerrys Plains, where it affected residents and a nearby childcare centre.

Some locals have complained that the $13,000 fee is too low, but are glad that charges were laid.

NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Manager for the Hunter region, Adam Gilligan, says the ruling was a solid outcome for the community and local environment.

“This outcome should act as a warning to industry that particular attention and care needs to be taken before, during and after a blast. This is to protect both the environment and local residents,” he said.

“In this instance there were a number of families in the Jerrys Plains area that were directly affected by odours as a result of the blast fumes.”

The EPA says the mining firms knew odorous fumes were even more likely to be emitted when it delayed the detonation for several weeks, but authorities claim the mine did not tell the community.

EPA says it will keep up its monitoring activities at the site, making sure Wambo complies with all current and future environmental regulations.