A 42-year-old man has been slapped with a £1,000 fine for fly-tipping in a country lane.

Antonio Goncalves de Jesus Sousa, of Baylis Parade, Slough, was caught on CCTV dumping rubbish from his van at Parsonage Lane, in Farnham Common.

The waste included rags and used bottles from oven cleaning work during the week.

He admitted dumping the rubbish, saying he had not used his regular “lawful disposal route” to deal with the waste due to “unusual circumstances”.

He said he had an important client to visit the following day and had been told to make sure his van was clean.

He had been taking it to be valeted when he realised he had not emptied the accumulated waste and “foolishly” turned off his route and deposited the rubbish at the roadside. He said that he “very much” regretted his actions.

Sousa was fined £200 and ordered to pay £837.50 in prosecution costs as well as a victim surcharge of £30, making the total £1,067.50.

South Bucks District Council cabinet member for environment Luisa Sullivan, speaking on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: “Although there was a routine way of disposing of work waste properly, the circumstances led this man to dump his waste on the highway.

“Because of his lapse, he now has to live with a criminal record.”