A man who dumped one bag of rubbish collected from the foot well of his van at the roadside after being told to give his boss a lift has been fined almost £2,500.

Nathan Willment, of Bank Street, High Wycombe, will be forced to pay back £2,426 after he pleaded guilty to illegally dumping waste on a road in Beaconsfield last November.

The 24-year-old culprit was caught out after investigators examined the contents of the bag in Andrew Hill Lane – which included bottles of drink and empty food packets – and discovered his details.

When interviewed at a police station, Willment admitted dumping the waste which he had accumulated as loose items in the passenger foot well of the van he used for work.

He said that he had been called by phone to give his boss a lift in the van and had to clean the waste out in order to do that.

He later expressed remorse for his actions which he freely admitted had been wrong.

Magistrates fined Mr Willment £1,600 and ordered him to pay clean-up and prosecution costs of £706. A victim surcharge of £120 was also levied, making a total to pay of £2,426.

Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire chairman, Mike Smith, said: “For the sake of a bag of rubbish, this individual now has a hefty court bill and a criminal record. It’s a salutary lesson and one I hope deters others from similar behaviour.

“I am heartened by the fact a member of the public took the time to report this and it just goes to prove how fed up people are with fly-tippers causing unnecessary mess and hazards in our environment.

“The message is very clear – fly-tip at your peril. We have a superb enforcement team, a vigilant public and we will not hesitate to prosecute whenever possible.”

To report fly-tipping, visit www.buckscc.gov.uk/fly