Trucks tracking sediment onto public roads as they leave construction sites are particularly annoying for other motorists, locals and EPA Victoria.
The environment regulator has fined Campbellfield business Winslow Constructions $5,298 after EPA officers witnessed just that happening at a site on Sneydes Rd, Point Cook.
The tracked-out mud was found on both Sneydes Rd and Hoppers Lane.
"It's an offence to deposit waste mud and soil like this on public roads. Winslow should know how to manage the issue and should have taken steps to wash their trucks off so it didn't happen," said EPA Western Metropolitan Manager Julia Gaitan.
"Sediment may be washed into stormwater drains, where it can end up in creeks and rivers, making the water cloudy and possibly harming fish and other aquatic life, so it's not just unsightly on our roads.
"Everyone knows how to read a weather forecast, so the prospect of rain creating a muddy surface at the sites they're servicing will not have been a surprise for the company, who should have acted to protect the environment. It's everyone's duty."
