A man who did not turn up to court after being caught fly-tipping four years ago has been fined more than £2,000.

Sean Liam Smith, 32, of St Annes Road, Harefield, Uxbridge, was found to have illegally dumped a “truckload” of building materials in Alderbourne Lane, Fulmer, at the Pinewood Road junction end of the lane.

Investigators found the waste on January 13, 2014 and traced it back to an address in Pinner.

Further investigation revealed that removal of building waste from the refurbishment of a rental property in Pinner had been arranged by the landlord, who used the services of Smith’s company A-2-Z Tree and Garden Services to take it away.

Smith was interviewed at a police station in April 2014, which resulted in a summons to appear in court later that year on a charge of illegal dumping. But he failed to attend.

When he did finally appear in court in 2018, Smith said he had never received the court papers in 2014.

But his failure to attend court the first time meant that when he caught police officers’ attention in November 2018, he was arrested and brought back to court for the original offence.

Because of the length of the intervening period, the case was treated as a first hearing, and Smith was given credit for making an early guilty plea. He was fined £769 and ordered to pay £1,392 prosecution costs. A victim surcharge of £76 was added to this, making a total to pay of £2,237.

South Bucks District Council cabinet member for environment Luisa Sullivan, speaking on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire, said: “We will always prosecute fly tippers where possible.

“Although this man managed to escape justice for quite some time, his crime caught up with him in the end, leaving him with a criminal record and a considerable sum to pay.”