A 63-year-old man has been fined almost £2,000 after dumping unwanted furniture near a beauty spot in Burnham.

Nicholas Gray, of Templewood Lane, Farnham Common, was filmed by a hidden camera on Thompkins Lane, Burnham, dumping two large mechanical armchairs in an isolated picturesque location on the edge of Burnham Beeches on June 2 this year.

Gray told the court his mother had died recently and he was clearing out her house in order to sell it, explaining that he used a works van to transport the chairs to the site.

He pleaded guilty to fly-tipping at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on September 6. He was fined £861 and ordered to pay £885.67 – the entire cost incurred by the council – and a victim surcharge of £86, making the total £1,832.67.

South Bucks District Council’s cabinet member for environment, Luisa Sullivan, speaking on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: “Yet again hidden surveillance cameras have led to the identification and subsequent conviction of a Buckinghamshire resident for an antisocial, unsightly and potentially costly fly tipping offence.

“The county’s household recycling centres provide full facilities for the disposal of residents’ waste – if instead you choose to dump your waste illegally, it's quite possible that you too will end up with a conviction.”

To report illegally dumped waste, go to http://old.buckscc.gov.uk/fly.