Business owners from Cheshire and a Cheetham Hill resident have been prosecuted in a crackdown on illegal fly-tipping in Salford. John Preece, 57, and Caroline Preece, 56, owners of CW10 Beds and Mattresses in Middlewich, were caught on CCTV using their company van to dump a bed frame, double mattress and other waste on Cambridge Street in the city. Mr Preece claimed he was travelling through Salford looking for a tip and gave £20 to a man in a high-vis vest who told him to dump the rubbish on Cambridge Street. The couple, of Booth Lane, Middlewich, pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates Court and were fined £150 each, ordered to pay £656.17 costs each, and to pay £87.50 compensation each – a total of £1,787.34. Muhammad Amjad, 42, from Oakhill Way, Cheetham Hill, was also caught on CCTV on Cambridge Street. He drove to Salford on May 19, 2022, to dump bin bags containing carpet grippers with sharp exposed tacks and part of a chair. Despite living only two miles away from his nearest household waste recycling centre [tip], where he could have taken the bags of rubbish for free, Mr Amjad decided to drive to Salford to dump the waste near a residential area. Mr Amjad pleaded guilty last week at Tameside magistrates’ court and was fined £963 and ordered to pay costs of £900 and a victim surcharge of £96 – a total of £1,959. Councillor Barbara Bentham, lead member for environment, neighbourhoods and community safety for Salford city council, said: “It’s astounding that people would drive to Salford to dump rubbish on our streets, rather than go to a household waste recycling centre closer to home. “These prosecutions send out a strong message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated in our city. We are committed to finding and prosecuting those involved and using our CCTV network to identify offenders and bring them to justice. “It costs Salford City Council over half a million pounds a year to remove and dispose of fly-tipping. This is Salford taxpayers’ money, which could be spent on essential services for Salford people, including vulnerable adults and children needing social care. There are 20 recycling sites across Greater Manchester which residents can use for free. The nearest recycling site can be found by visiting: https://recycleforgreatermanchester.com/find-a-recycling-centre
