BOLTON enforcement officers have successfully prosecuted a firm and an individual who broke the rules that prevent fly-tipping.

During an inspection, Gilnow Service Centre in Gilnow Road, Bolton the company failed to produce relevant waste transfer notes during an inspection in February.

The firm was unable to supply the notes, which provide legal evidence of waste disposal which include the licence information of which waste carrier removed it. By law there is a legal requirements to keep notes on file for two years.

Gilnow Service Centre was unable to produce the documents during a second inspection and was issued with a fixed penalty notice,which went unpaid and went to Bolton Magistrates Court for prosecution

Gilnow Service Centre entered a guilty plea and was ordered to pay a £1,000 fine, £375 in costs and a £100 victim surcharge. Rebwar Jaffar Ahmed, 35, was also fined £500 for a duty of care offence.

In a separate case, enforcement officers investigating the dumping of cardboard and plastic waste at Red Rock Lane, Ringley, in November 2017, tracked down Scott Warburton. Warburton, 19, of Bridgeman Street, Farnworth, claimed to have dumped the packaging on land near the River Irwell because he believed it would biodegrade.

He admitted he was paid to remove the rubbish from a property in Kearsley but failed to produce a valid waste carrier’s licence.

He later pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence at Bolton Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay a £200 fine, £300 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services, Cllr Nick Peel, said: “The war on fly-tipping is not just about picking up rubbish and cleaning up after others. We are also proactive in tracking down those who flout the law.

“It is vital to have evidence that the person you pay to take your rubbish away is a licensed carrier. That way we can be confident that waste is being removed in a way that is clean, safe and environmentally sustainable and not fly-tipped in our roads or public spaces.

“Our behavioural change teams continue to work with Bolton residents and businesses to make sure everyone understands their legal obligations when it comes to waste disposal.”