A MALVERN businessman has been fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after hundreds of tins of car paint were found by the roadside.

Adam Cale, of Secure Fabrications, Spring Lane industrial estate, pleaded guilty to three charges under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Droitwich magistrates heard.

The court heard that, on November 4, between 750 and 900 partly-used paint tins were found in four drums at the roadside in Offerton Lane, Warndon, Worcester.

Environment Agency officers investigated and found paint on the ground and in the water nearby.

The tins were traced to Cale's business, where Cale told officers he had paid someone to dispose of the tins, which had been left by a previous occupant of the premises.

In mitigation, Cale said he did not know it was an offence to dispose of the materials other than via an authorised person.

He had not originally intended to get the person to dispose of the drums, but the person had offered to do the job.