A CARPET business and van owner have been fined a total of £2,530 by Bolton Council for fly tipping.

This comes after carpet and underlay, enough to fill a large van, were found dumped to the rear of Hengist Street and Romer Street on September 27, 2019.

Council environmental enforcement officers were able to trace the waste back to Pat Carpets Limited, trading as Signature Carpets and Blinds, in Worsley owned by Pat Tomkins who has now been fined along with the van owner he had hired.

Bolton Council Deputy Leader Cllr Hilary Fairclough said: "Businesses have a legal duty to deal responsibly with their waste, this is their duty of care."

"It is vitally important that you check your waste collection provider is a registered waste carrier, just paying someone to take away your waste is not enough.

“We will not hesitate to prosecute if your waste ends up fly-tipped and you cannot provide proof you took the necessary steps to prevent it.”

This comes amid wider efforts by the authority to crackdown on fly tipping across the borough.

When interviewed after having been tracked down by Bolton Council officials, Pat Carpets Limited owner Mr Tomkins stated he had paid someone £100 to remove the waste.

Whilst he made no official checks, Mr Tomkins said that he believed the man was officially licensed for waste disposal.

The investigation then found the owner of the van to be Kristian Balogh of Mornington Road, Bolton.

On November 25, 2021, at Bolton Magistrates Court, Pat Carpets Ltd was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £191 victim surcharge and £626 costs.

Mr Balogh pleaded guilty to fly-tipping though he maintained the offence had been carried out by a friend who had borrowed the van.

He was fined £530 and ordered to pay £53 victim surcharge and £627 costs.