A WOMAN who paid two men £10 to take away her Christmas rubbish has been landed with a £322 bill after it was found dumped by the roadside.

Bolton magistrates heard rubbish at Debra Bell's Woodvale Grove home in Great Lever had piled up over the festive period and when she saw her neighbours putting their bin bags into a Ford Transit van, she agreed to pay the driver £10 to take away her six bags of rubbish.

Alison Kelly, prosecuting, told the court that on January 3, Bolton Council environmental enforcement officers were called to Raikes Lane where they discovered the bags dumped by the road with rubbish spilling out.

Correspondence among the litter led them to Bell.

Miss Kelly stated that fly tipping in Bolton was becoming a major problem, with the council having to spend £1 million a year to clear illegally dumped rubbish.

Bell, aged 32, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure her waste was disposed of by properly authorised people.

Peter Leather, defending, said Bell was shocked when she was shown photographs of her dumped rubbish.

"At no stage did it occur to her that her rubbish was not going to be disposed of properly," he said.

He added that his client was not aware that it was an offence not to make sure people taking away rubbish had licences or authorisation.

"It strikes me that there are a large number of residents in the borough who are unwittingly committing this offence," said Mr Leather.

Magistrates accepted that Bell had acted in good faith but added that it is not a defence to be ignorant of the law.

Bell was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £322.