The Beijing Environment Protection Bureau ordered a company in the Chinese capital to pay the maximum fine for polluting the air, the Beijing News reported on Tuesday.

Special: Fight air pollution

The bureau conducted an inspection on June 3 and found that Babcock & Wilcox Beijing Company Ltd was ignoring an order to stop painting utility boilers in the open air - without any protective measures for reducing air pollution.

The Sino-US joint venture was fined a total of 600,000 yuan ($96,739), the maximum amount according to air pollution control regulations issued on March 1.

The company has been fined twice before - in 2012 and 2013 – and was ordered to pay a total of 40,000 yuan each time.

In May, the company was again found to be breaking the law, and fined 300,000 yuan. It was also order to stop the open-air painting before June 1.