A TOTTON man has been fined after he dumped a yellow wheel clamp and car number plates in a hedge near Romsey last summer.

Francis Matthews, 66, of Sutton Road, was caught by a covert camera on August 21 pulling into a layby on Coldharbour Lane in his recovery vehicle, which was loaded with a car with a wheel clamp attached.

He was seen removing the clamp using an angle grinder and carrying it away before dumping it in the hedge.

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Appearing at Southampton Magistrates' Court on April 3, Matthews pleaded guilty and was given a fine of £2,000 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £800 and costs of £753.67.

Cllr David Drew, portfolio holder for recycling and environmental services, said: “This result should act as a deterrent to anyone thinking about fly-tipping in our borough; nobody likes a fly-tipper. I’m grateful to the courts for taking this incident seriously and it illustrates our ongoing hard work to stamp out fly-tipping across Test Valley.”

People can report fly-tips to TVBC at testvalley.gov.uk/fly-tipping.