A woman has been found guilty of running an unlicensed tattoo parlour and ordered to pay almost £1,000 after incriminating adverts were revealed in court.

Phillipa Barker, of Thanet Gardens, Folkestone, also faced charges of not disposing of waste correctly and contributing to a nearby fly-tipping site but these were later dropped.

Ms Barker, 36, set up a business called Miss Chief Ink in 2015, having previously worked at The Windmill Tattoo Studio in Dymchurch.

In court on Monday, Ms Barker protested that her business based at 188 Dover Road, Folkestone, was used only as a training school for budding tattoo artists, who practised on friends and family members until its closure in October.

The unemployed mother-of-two said: “I did charge to cover the cost of materials but mostly I was paid with gifts.”

But Tim Hixon, representing Folkestone and Hythe District Council at the hearing, presented a number of adverts from Facebook and internet search engines.

Despite Ms Barker’s assurances that she was given gifts for jobs or only paid the cost of the material, adverts featured pricings of up to £120 for a day.

District Judge Justin Barron said: “I don’t think you’re a credible witness. By your own admission you were paid for some of the work you carried out, a fact which is supported by the evidence that’s been brought before us.

“I therefore find you guilty of running an unregistered tattooing business, namely Miss Chief Ink, at 188 Dover Road.”

Questions were raised over the other two charges, as the council’s earlier representation did not prove that Ms Barker had incorrectly disposed of any waste.

On Monday, District Judge Barron said the council had agreed to withdraw the two charges.

Ms Barker told the court: “If I’d known there was an issue I would have dealt with it, but because I saw people from the council I assumed there wasn’t an issue. But I’ve helped lots of women get back to work and get off drugs and benefits.”

The judge fined Ms Barker £300 and ordered her to pay costs of £629.40 and a victim surcharge of £30.