Clothing company fined for dumping waste

A MANCHESTER company has been forced to pay more than £1,600 after its business waste was found fly-tipped in Didsbury.

Moonlight Clothing Ltd, based in Longsight, was fined £660 and ordered to pay £898 in costs, plus a £66 victim surcharge – a total penalty of £1,624.

Manchester City Council launched an investigation after a member of the public reported a fly-tipping incident on Stenner Lane, Didsbury, in March 2016.

Council officers responding to the call found around 40 bags of commercial waste, plus evidence linking the crime to Moonlight Clothing Ltd.

A full investigation was launched by the council’s Environmental Crimes team, who discovered that the company had handed the waste over to an unauthorised agent, rather than disposing of it legally.

Moonlight Clothing Limited did not attend a hearing at Manchester Magistrates Court on Wednesday 30 November and the case against the company was proved in its absence.

Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Nigel Murphy, said: “I’d like to thank our Environmental Crimes Team for securing another prosecution against a company which showed no regard for its responsibility to dispose of its commercial waste properly.

“Moonlight Clothing Limited have shown a disgraceful lack of respect for our residents and for the city’s environment, so it’s great news that they’ve been caught and punished.  We will continue to make sure that the selfish minority of businesses and individuals who illegally dump waste are prosecuted wherever possible.”