A PROPERTY firm and the owner of a building business have been given hefty fines after admitting to dumping a lorry-load of rubbish near to a children’s play area in Tonge Fold.

Earlier this year waste, including white goods, rubble, and used carpets from home renovations, was found fly-tipped near to Edditch Grove; prompting a length investigation by Bolton Council and other public agencies.

Inquiries linked the material to properties in Haslingdon, Lancashire, owned by London-based Fabco Properties Ltd and managed by a Salford company.

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A complex legal investigation followed to untangle which of the companies was responsible for the waste.

During a court appearance in April, Fabco accepted responsibility for contracting the refurbishment to RS Building and failing to ensure waste from their properties was properly disposed of.

Fabco was fined £1,900 and ordered to pay a £170 victim surcharge and £1,862 in costs.

However council officers were initially unable to trace RS Building and enlisted the help of Greater Manchester Police and Salford Council to eventually track the firm and its owner, Stefan Oprescu, down.

During an interview Oprescu claimed he had passed the waste on to a company he found on the classified website Gumtree.

He then twice failed to appear in court before being arrested and brought before Bolton Magistrates’ Court.

Oprescu admitted to responsibility for the tipped waste material and was fined £250 in addition to a £30 surcharge and costs of £2,516.

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services, Cllr Nick Peel, said: “This was a complex and lengthy case that required a great deal of dedication and working hours from council staff.

“The effort that has gone into this is a strong reminder that flytipping will not be tolerated and that we will go to any length to prosecute those responsible.

“The costs awarded in the case reflect both the scale of the clean-up operation and the length of the investigation.

“This was a significant amount of waste, but the principle remains the same whether it is a lorry load of rubble or a single bag of rubbish.

“Whether it is a company or an individual, it is your responsibility to ensure your waste is being taken away by a licensed carrier who will deposed of it safely and sustainably.”