HUNDREDS of fly-tippers have been caught since war was declared on the litter cheats who blight Bolton.

Just three months into the Bin It For Bolton campaign, litter busters at the town hall have succeeded in trapping 366 offenders responsible for turning parts of the town into shameful eyesores.

Ten people are already being prosecuted and dozens more are likely to face fines of up to £20,000 as the crackdown continues.

Among them are four people caught by CCTV for the first time at Raikes Lane - one of Bolton's most notorious grot spots.

Enforcement officers used state-of-the-art cameras for the first time to gather video evidence of offenders who were caught dumping tonnes of rubble, industrial waste and chemicals on an almost daily basis. Now they hope to use the footage to convict them through the courts.

Fifteen tonnes of waste has since been moved from land off Raikes Lane which had become a magnet for those seeking to dodge the cost of getting rid of waste legitimately.

And town hall bosses now say they are confident of catching anyone who flouts the law and tries to hijack their big clean up.

Sally Wolstencroft, environmental education and enforcement manager, said: "We now have the resources to tackle any complaints which we have and we will come down very hard on anyone who fly-tips.

"There's simply no excuse. Raikes Lane is probably the worst fly-tipping spot in Bolton, and now we have cleaned it up and have a clean area we will be doing everything we can to keep it that way.

"The same goes for any part of Bolton."

As well as using cameras at places where they know illegal fly-tippers operate, undercover officers will be used in the war on litter.

Ms Wolstencroft also made a plea to the public, who have so far tipped them off about dozens of offenders, to come forward with more information.

"We want the information to keep coming in," she said. "We need it to come down hard on those responsible. We're only as effective as the information that we get, and the public can help us to put a stop to this."

First-time offenders and those guilty of minor breaches of fly-tipping laws have escaped with warnings, but will be subject to prosecution if they are caught again.

The Bin In For Bolton campaign, which was launched earlier this year in conjunction with the Bolton Evening News, has also seen more than 60 people fined £50 each for dropping litter in the streets.

More fines have been promised for anyone allowing dogs to foul pavements and footpaths by litter patrols or feeding pigeons.

The hotline for anybody who has information on rubbish being dumped is 01204 336930.