A PILE of building waste was dumped in a hotspot area for fly-tipping by a man hired on Facebook to get rid of it.

The flags, tarpaulin and builders' bags were found in Greenland Road, Farnworth on November 4 last year.

David Hamilton had been paid £70 to clear the rubbish from a house in Hibernia Street, Deane.

But the 24-year-old was not licensed to carry out the job and dumped the haul in a lay-by.

He has now been ordered to pay nearly £700 in costs and a fine after admitting both offences at Bolton Magistrates Court.

Council officers caught Hamilton on CCTV loading the waste onto a Vauxhall Movado Transit van with two other men.

The man whose waste was found was able to produce a copy of the Facebook conversation he had with Hamilton, in which he asked him to dispose of the rubbish.

A delivery note on one of the bags enabled the council to trace the waste to the address in Deane.

When the council staff spoke to him, he told them that he had paid Hamilton £70 to get rid of the rubbish.

The council then logged onto Facebook and found Hamilton's profile page, enabling them to confirm it was the same person.

Hamilton said in interview that he had arranged the collection and was present when it was loaded into the van, along with a friend and his brother.

He admitted not having a waste carrier's licence, and added that he did not give the Deane householder any documentation to record the transaction.

Cllr Nick Peel, cabinet member for environmental services, said: "People must be wary who they pay to take away their waste.

"They can be liable themselves. We will obviously try to prosecute the people responsible for fly-tipping but the evidence often leads to the householder.

"People need to remember that to dispose of this waste you need a licence."

Hamilton was fined £100 and told to pay £575 in costs.