THE green dream is turning into a nightmare for residents living next to a Bolton recycling centre.

People living in Oakenbottom Road, Tonge Moor, say large lorries belonging to Chadwick's Recycling Plant regularly spill part of their loads on to the road and the noise of the plant is unbearable.

The road, surrounded by parkland, has become busier over the last 18 months since the recycling centre has expanded to take household rubbish from the general public.

Resident Jean Platt, aged 53, said: "There are regular spillages on the road.

"We had a diesel spillage last week and in the past have had the whole road covered in oil. The drivers stop and talk to each other in their waggons at 8am.

"I'm lucky because I work so don't have to put up with it all day, but we are all dreading winter. At the moment, we can't see the pile of rubbish because of the trees, but once they shed their leaves we'll have all that to look at.

"They couldn't be more different to Firwood Paints next door, who are wonderful. Their drivers are courteous and always considerate of the neighbours."

Fellow resident Stephen Bretherton, aged 48, said: "We see these huge waggons driving past all the time with household waste and scrap cars. When they are closed on Saturday afternoons, scrap cars just get dumped at the entrance.

"The plant is supposed to be for the environment, but they are damaging the local environment. The council has come out several times after cars they drag in have leaked oil along the street."

John Kay, general manager of Chadwick's, said: "We have never worked after hours and usually lock up about 4.45pm, 15 minutes before. The business has been growing and has probably more than doubled since we came in six years ago.

"All our waggons appreciate the speed limit and, if waggons need sheeting, we have to do that because it's the law. We can't stop customers speeding or bringing materials that may leak, such as engines.

"We have had a couple of noise-related complaints, but that was down to one piece of equipment which we stopped using a month or two ago. We are trying to work with everybody."