A MAN who dumped nine sacks of rubbish in open countryside was tracked down by a letter found in the litter.

Jeremy Hayden, 38, of Lansdown Road, Faringdon, was fined £200 and ordered to pay £300 costs.

At Didcot Magistrates' Court, Hayden admitted fly-tipping a large quantity of domestic waste in hedgerows on either side of Denchworth Road, in Grove, on December 29 last year.

The waste included nine refuse sacks surrounded by Christmas wrapping paper, bubble wrap, empty beer cans, polystyrene packing and empty food containers.

Windy conditions on the day whipped up the rubbish and scattered it over neighbouring fields Hayden was caught following an inspection made by a Vale of White Horse District Council environment warden, who noticed the waste while out on his round.

The warden interviewed a person who had been mentioned in correspondence found in the rubbish, who identified Hayden as a potential suspect.

Hayden was interviewed and admitted dumping the waste.

The magistrates said had it not been for his guilty plea and financial situation the fine would have been a lot higher.

The district council's executive member with responsibility for environmental health, Angela Lawrence, said it was "incredibly sad" to think anyone would want to blight the countryside by dumping rubbish.

She said: "To make matters worse, there's a recycling centre only a short drive away from Mr Hayden's house, at Stanford in the Vale."