A High Wycombe man has been fined almost £1,500 for fly-tipping near a beauty spot in Burnham.

Jack Griffiths, 23, of Kings Road, was caught on camera dumping waste, including polystyrene, at Abbey Park Lane on the approach to Burnham Beeches.

The polystyrene was later found by investigators along the road, blown over by the wind.

Griffiths pleaded guilty at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court, telling police in an interview that he had stopped there to relieve himself and, having found dirt in the truck following a job delivering fencing panels, he decided to sweep it off by the roadside.

He said he was not aware that the polystyrene had been dumped at the same time.

He was fined £500, ordered to pay £942 in clean-up and prosecution costs and a victim surcharge of £50, making the total £1,492.

Cllr Mike Smith, chairman of the waste partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: "In this case the camera has detected the offence even though the defendant claimed not to have been aware of it himself – showing how this kind of evidence can reveal weak excuses for what they are. 

“I can only appeal to all potential offenders not to be tempted by what may appear to be an easy way to dispose of waste.

“We are committed to prosecuting such behaviour whenever we can.”