A TRIAL date has been set for an Ellesmere Port gardening businessman facing 23 counts of fraud.

Michael Aston, 31, of Pooltown Road, denied all charges when he appeared at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, October 24 – one week earlier than the case was originally listed.

The 23 charges relate to fraud allegations involving 21 customers and are alleged to have taken place between January 1, 2017 and October 31, 2018 when Aston ran the company MA Gardening.

The total amount allegedly defrauded is said to be £54,805.

Aston was bailed pending his trial date, which has been listed for the week commencing June 22, 2020, to be heard at Chester Crown Court.