The deputy leader of Bolton Council has said the sentence given to the men who broke the rules at a waste facility and left the council with a £3million clean-up bill does not reflect the impact of their actions.

SC Chadwick and Sons had operated for generations and ran the site on Oakenbottom Road near Breightmet.

But its operators continuously breached the rules for how much waste was allowed on the site at any given time creating a fire risk and foul odours in the area.

When the company finally went into liquidation, Bolton Council was left with a clean-up bill of almost £3million.

Michael Chadwick, 72, and son Sean Chadwick, 48, appeared at Bolton Crown Court after admitting breaching the requirements on an environmental permit at the Bolton site between June 2014 and February 2016.

Together with Gary Chadwick, 50, also a son of Michael, they breached the terms of an environmental permit at the Leigh site on Manchester Road and later failed to act on an enforcement order to cease operations there in February, 2015.

The three men were all given suspended sentences at Bolton Crown Court last week, with a judge describing them as hard-working family men and noting the crimes were some time in the past.

But councillor Hillary Fairclough, the deputy leader of Bolton Council, said this did not match the cost they had inflicted on the local authority.

She said: “This site was left in an utterly unacceptable condition which presented a serious risk to the health and safety of local residents.

“This left the council with no option but to clear the site, at a cost of £3m to the Bolton Council taxpayer.

“Cleaning up the mess that was left behind also took valuable time and resources away from the frontline services we all rely on.

“We fully supported the Environment Agency’s decision to prosecute this case.”

She added: “While we are pleased that those responsible have been held to account, we do not feel the sentence fully reflects the burden that was placed on the council and on Bolton residents.”

At court last week a sentence of 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months was imposed on Michael Chadwick, of Kentwood Avenue in Leigh, and on Sean Chadwick, of Manchester Road in Leigh.

One of 14 weeks was imposed on Gary Chadwick, of Culcheth Hall Drive in Warrington, also suspended for 18 months.