A Bucks farmer who stored pig heads and sheep skulls has been fined after a team of TB testers made the gruesome discovery on his land.

A team of testers who visited Richard Piercy's farm in Water End, near Stokenchurch, to test for Tuberculosis in his cattle found animal carcasses being stored in the premises - in breach of animal by-products regulations.

When trading standards officers later attempted to carry out an inspection to investigate the situation, Mr Piercy refused them access to Water End Farm, so they had to apply for a warrant and police escort to gain entry.

After the inspection was finally carried out, the farmer was charged with five crimes - including failure to comply with an enforcement notice, failure to dispose of animal by-products properly using a licensed collector, obstructing authorised officers from entering for an inspection and failure to produce records and documents when requested.

Mr Piercy appeared at Wycombe Magistrates' Court on October 28 and pleaded not guilty.

He told the court he made almost no profit on the farm and gave other mitigating circumstances.

However, he was found guilty by district judge Dodds and was fined £600, ordered to pay £400 in costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

The court heard how between May 1 and 4 last year, Mr Piercy failed to comply with a notice served to him to have pigs heads, sheep skulls and other animal remains collected and disposed of.

On December 11 last year, he intentionally obstructed an authorised person from getting into the premises for an inspection.

And on January 16 this year, Mr Piercy still did not dispose of the remains and failed to produce records when asked to by an inspector.

Gareth Williams, Bucks County Council's cabinet member for community engagement and public health, said: "This prosecution demonstrates that we take offences of this nature very seriously, and our trading standards officers do their utmost to ensure the law relating to disposal of animal by-products is upheld."