A REMOVAL man collected rubbish from a disabled Heaton couple which was later found dumped near a tip.

Gareth Booth, who trades under Bolton Man and Van, had been given £30 to clear the waste from Sixth Avenue, Heaton, after advertising his trade on a Facebook page.

He accepted £30 from the couple to clear the haul of bin bags, children's play equipment, the broken remains of a bathroom suite and a dismantled wardrobe.

He arrived in his white van, which had Premier Kitchens written on the side, on December 5 and took the pile away, only for it to be found by council officers just 11 days later just yards away from the Raikes Lane tip.

Booth eventually pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and transporting waste without a licence at Bolton Magistrates' Court. He accepted responsibility as the owner of the van, but insisted he had not dumped the rubbish.

He claimed he had allowed an employee to use the van, having left the rubbish in the vehicle overnight, and told him to take the waste to the tip.

Magistrates fined him £465 and Booth was also told to pay other costs of £1,836 at a hearing on May 18.

The 29-year-old, of Musgrave Gardens, Heaton, said: "I take full responsibility as it is my van. It is a big fine and it's the first time I have been done for it.

"Maybe they could do something a bit different in view of that.

"My solicitor told them my situation, that I have a little baby, but I was still slapped with a big fine.

"But there is nothing that can be done about it."

Cllr Nick Peel, cabinet member for environmental services, said: "It seems to me that whoever dumped the rubbish has gone to Raikes Lane and it has been closed or they have not got a licence.

"The guys there have turned them away and they have just gone and dumped it outside.

"It is very difficult for the people who pay these men as they could unluckily end up being in trouble.

"I think it is important that people only go through approved channels to dispose of waste as they could end up being in trouble.

"Ultimately everyone is responsible for their own waste.

"There are reputable trade waste companies out there but people must be careful.

"In this case it is the person himself who has been prosecuted which is good news."

Council officers traced the waste back to the Heaton address, where they were told how the couple, who were unable to drive because of their disabilities, had looked on Facebook for someone to do the job.

After contacting Booth, two attempts to arrange collection fell through, before he arrived with another man on December 5 in an old white van.