A CCTV camera has been installed in Queens Park to catch fly-tippers dumping takeaway food at the Bolton beauty spot.

The camera on the island at the park’s duck pond was set up after concerns that ducks’ health was being adversely affected because they were eating fatty left-overs.

Dog walkers notified park rangers after they spotted people dumping food, such as left over chicken carcasses, rice and chipati bread by the pond. Just two weeks after Bolton Council installed the camera, two men were caught dumping bags of food rubbish at the pond.

Wildlife experts have welcomed the introduction of the camera, which did not cost the council anything to install as it already owned the system. Alan Wright, of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said it was crucial for ducks to have a balanced, natural diet in the lead-up to winter and eating out-of-date takeaway food could kill them.

Mr Wright said: “Takeaway food will make them sick and it is definitely not a suitable food source for them to eat. Not only does it affect the ducks, it also affects their habitat.”

A spokesman for the council said: “We were aware there was a problem over a number of weeks with someone dumping large quantities of food waste next to the duck pond at Queens Park. We then installed a CCTV camera specifically in response to this problem.”

John Hardy, chairman of the Friends of Queens Park group, said: “We have a problem with people overfeeding the ducks anyway. We work closely in partnership with the council and the neighbourhood services to keep the park well maintained and we rely on dog walkers to tell us what is going on.”

l Mohammed Asghar pleaded guilty to dumping a bag of waste at Queens Park at Bolton Magistrates’ Court.

He was fined £80, plus a £15 victim surcharge and £150 for investigation costs after he was caught on camera dumping left-over takeaway food at 9am on March 31.