Business partners from a carpet shop were fined a total of £7,042 by Bury magistrates after their waste was found dumped in Radcliffe.

The fines are believed to be the biggest so far imposed for this type of offence in Bury.

Environmental health bosses at Bury Council say the outcome should act as a warning to others who do not dispose of their waste properly.

Patrick Boyce and Mark Sandiford, from The Carpet Shop in Market Street, Little Lever, were found guilty on five counts of failing to comply with waste disposal procedures.

The court heard how Mr Sandiford had been responsible for controlled waste and had failed to ensure its transfer to an authorised waste carrier. As a result, the waste was found dumped on two separate occasions at Cams Lane and Sion Street, contravening the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Boyce received a fine of £1,971 while Sandiford received the larger fine as he failed to turn up for the hearing.

After the hearing, Councillor John Byrne, Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: "We have done everything we can to warn businesses not to give waste to unauthorised carriers, it is our duty to prosecute anyone who does not see fit to comply with the law. By not using these 'cowboys' to remove waste we will very quickly put them out of business and force them out of town, leaving our streets cleaner and greener."