A PICTURESQUE beauty spot near a busy stretch of road has been blighted by flytippers.

Rubbish including a settee and an old chair has been scattered along moorland off Walker Fold Road, Bolton.

It has caused anger among motorists and nearby residents. Brian Pearl, of Jesmond Road, Smithills, has branded the offenders "irresponsible" and called on Bolton Council to get tough with the fly-tippers.

He said: "I could not believe that all of this rubbish had been dumped on the side of the road. I just don't understand the mentality of these people. Whoever did this went to a lot of trouble to drive along Walker Fold Road and dump all this rubbish.

"It would have only cost them a few pounds to dump the rubbish at a dump. But these people do not have respect for themselves or the community around them."

A spokesman for Bolton Council said the rubbish would be collected within seven days.

The blight on Bolton's landscape was discovered as the local authority issued a fresh warning to people who persistently dump rubbish. Council chiefs say they will be caught and prosecuted as the crackdown against litter bugs continues.

Since the Bolton Evening News' Bin It For Bolton campaign began five months ago, one person has been successfully prosecuted and 26 others face prosecution by council litter busters. People caught and prosecuted for fly-tipping face fines of up to £20,000. Enforcement officers have used state-of-the-art cameras to gather video evidence of offenders 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.

Town hall bosses said they are determined to clamp down on people who flout the law and dump rubbish in the streets of the town. Jenny Taylor, senior enforcement officer at Bolton Council, said: "People have already been warned about fly-tipping.

"We will prosecute anyone who decides to dump rubbish in Bolton. They have had enough warning to know the penalties.

"We've been doing whatever we can to catch people and we are determined to stamp out the problem."

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

A spokesman for Bolton Council said the rubbish would be collected within seven days.

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