A “bottle digger”, who uprooted trees and damaged public green space by using a mini digger to hunt for antique glassware, has been fined more than £3,000.
Jack Cosgrove pleaded guilty to criminal damage when he appeared at Manchester City Magistrates Court on October 20.
The court heard how he accessed the wooded area near Irma Street and used the vehicle to dig on the site of a former tip.
Several trees were felled and damaged in the process and Bolton Council officers had to fill in the holes that were left behind.
Mr Cosgrove was caught after a local resident took a video of him and the vehicle.
He was ordered to pay £3,098.28 compensation along with a £768 fine and required to complete 40 hours of unpaid work.
Bottle digging is generally the excavation of areas of historical tipping, with the aim of finding Victorian antique bottles which can be worth up to £100.
Typically, bottle diggers use shovels or other hand tools.
Cllr Nadim Muslim, Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Services said:
“Digging around public footpaths uproots trees and creates dangerous large holes as well as leaving broken glass.
“As well as representing a danger to the public, there is significant cost to the council in repairing the damage.
“This is a dangerous and illegal activity, and we hope the outcome of this court case sends a clear message that bottle digging will not be tolerated.”