A FASHION chain based in Bury has been left counting the cost of a city centre fly-posting campaign.

Council bosses in Manchester took action against Size? after 30 posters were plastered across private buildings and street hoardings.

City centre officers spotted flyers for the JD Sports owned outlets in Market Street, Princess Street and Mosley Street.

An investigation was launched by the authority's environmental crimes team, which established that Size? was part of the Pilsworth JD Sports group.

An invitation was sent to the company, inviting a representative to attend an interview under caution.

In a written response, the firm admitted responsibility for the posters and told the city council that staff involved had been 're-educated', so they were aware what was acceptable when it came to advertising the brand. But Size? declined to send someone along to be questioned so a prosecution was instigated.

City magistrates in Manchester heard JD Sports Fashion admitted to five fly-posting offences.

The court was told the employee responsible no longer worked for the company. Magistrates fined Size? £7,500 and ordered them to pay court costs of £716.

Cllr Rabnawaz Akbar, the city council's neighbourhoods executive member, said: "Fly-posting is an anti-social crime and it is extremely disappointing this established company chose to ignore the law in this way.

"The ‘Size?’ of the penalty indicates that this offence deserved to be strongly punished.

“I'd like to thank our environmental crimes team for their diligence in making sure that JD Sports were suitably punished. It isn’t acceptable to treat the city centre in this way and we will not to hesitate to bring prosecutions to protect our streets from illegal postering of this kind."