A fly-tipper was arrested within minutes of emptying his vanload of rubbish on an illegal traveller site in Blackheath.

The man was spotted by Greenwich parks staff as he drove his van onto the playing field by Hervey Road and dumping the spewing the contents onto the land.

Staff called the police instantly who quickly arrived and caught the fly-tipper red-handed as he dumped his truckload of rubbish from his Ford Transit.

The man, 22-year-old Anthony Lawrence of no fixed abode, was immediately arrested and later charged and found guilty of illegally dumping waste.

He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £85 towards court costs as well an additional £40 surcharge.

On the same day of the offence, the council removed the illegal traveller encampment at Hervey Road by serving a notice to evict the occupants; they left within 72 hours.

Borough commander Simon Dobinson added: “The close partnership between the Metropolitan Police and the Royal Borough allows us to take the firmest possible action on fly-tipping and other enviro-crimes.

“Too often fly-tippers think that the only consequence of their behaviour will be a fine and slap on the wrist; the action we took at Hervey Road shows that this is definitely not the case.

“Where a fly-tipper is caught by the Police, they are likely to be arrested and charged with a criminal offence.”