Willis fined for clearing island

Willis installed a sprinkler system on the island at his Idaho home

Hollywood actor Bruce Willis has been fined nearly £12,000 for breaking environmental laws by tearing up an island in a pond at his home.

The Die Hard star broke US wetlands laws when he cleared the half acre site at his home in Idaho.

The Environmental Protection Agency said he dumped topsoil on the island and installed a sprinkler system.

"He was cleaning up this island. He simply did not know it was in wetland jurisdiction," Willis' lawyer said.

Island access

The actor also dumped material in a stream to provide access to the island, the agency said.

Willis, 49, stopped the work last year when he was told it broke environmental laws. He has begun work to restore the island to its original state.

Under the settlement, the island will be replanted and restored by 31 October and the site will be monitored for the next decade.

The ruling follows a 1998 incident, when Idaho Department of Water Resources prosecuted Willis for renovating a stream.

The actor was told to remove rocks installed in the Big Wood River at his Idaho home, and charges against Willis were dropped when he complied.