A 42-year-old man who dumped rubbish in a field has been fined £2,000 by magistrates at Maidstone.

Gary Lemar, of Nelson Road, Wouldham, near Rochester, dumped the rubbish in Cossington Fields, Bell Lane, near Boxley. He was seen by a witness using a hire vehicle to dump the waste at the site of special scientific interest, in March.

Maidstone council's environmental health team was able to trace him via the hire company and bring the matter to court.

Lemar pleaded guilty to the unlawful disposal of controlled waste. His defence told the court that he had driven to Boxley after he was unable to get into a waste disposal site in Medway, believing there was another site there.

He admitted dumping builders rubble and materials from his garage in the field before driving to Tovil to get rid of other items.

As well as the fine the magistrates ordered him to pay court costs of £584.

Cllr Malcolm Robertson (Lib Dem), the council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "I'm proud that we have been able to bring about a prosecution for fly-tipping. This should set alarm bells ringing for all those who think they have the right to dump unwanted items wherever they like.

"I'm grateful to the person who came forward to report the incident and promise anyone who does the same that we will do all we can to bring the perpetrator to court."

Maidstone council received more than 2,000 reports of fly-tipping last year. It introduced an additional team to clear up dumped rubbish, as well as covert CCTV to catch offenders.

Fly-tippers can incur fines of up to £20,000 or six months in prison. Punishment is more severe if hazardous waste is dumped.