BAGS of rubbish found dumped in the streets of Bury are being searched in a bid to trace the culprits.

Bury Council's environmental health officers joined members of the Bury East street cleaning team in Kershaw Street and Tinline Street to remove a pile of bin bags that have accumulated over the past two weeks.

The group spent several hours removing the 30 bags of rubbish before taking them away to the Pest Control Office to be searched through for names and addresses that could identify who was responsible for dumping the rubbish.

The officers managed to dig out five possible lines of enquiry which may lead to interviews with the culprits.

Lorraine Chamberlin, who is an environmental health manager, said: "There are pockets of areas where fly-tipping is very serious in Bury and it is costing council tax payers a lot of money to have it taken away when it could be spent on schools and old people's homes."

The operation was part of the council's commitment to tackling environmental crime which has included the recent appointment of environmental enforcement officers to deal with fly posting, graffiti, litter and fly tipping.

The enforcement team has been given new powers to investigate and take action against offenders who disregard their legal responsibilities in a bid to maintain a cleaner, safer and greener environment in the borough.