A TEACHER learnt a costly lesson when he was convicted of fly-tipping yesterday.

Phil Raine admitted to magistrates that it had been "ridiculous" to throw his household waste and wood on a disused railway line.

He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £400 costs.

Trevor Cooper, prosecuting on behalf of the Environment Agency, said a farmer had seen Raine's car parked on a grass verge with its boot up, in Marks Lane, West Rainton, near Durham, on Saturday, March 17.

The farmer was suspicious because the car was next to the parapet of a stone bridge over a disused railway line.

Mr Cooper said: "He suspected that the driver had thrown away rubbish and shouted at him to go and pick it up. Mr Raine went down and returned with a small piece of wood, which he returned to his vehicle."

The farmer returned later to see what had been thrown down and saw a pile of wood, timber, wardrobe sides and cardboard packaging.

When interviewed, Raine admitted throwing the rubbish over the bridge, saying the council tip at Pity Me was closed for the day.

He told investigators he returned to remove the rubbish and that he felt ashamed.

Mr Cooper said: "Much of the pollution that we experience as a society is attributed to the improper disposal of waste, and we hope by enforcing the legislation that environmental pollution can be reduced for all of us.

"You will see from his statement of means that his occupation is school master. You may take the view that he set a bad example."

Mr Raine, 59, of The Meadows, West Rainton, pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing household waste and wood, when he appeared before Durham magistrates.

In mitigation, he said his daughter was getting new bedroom furniture and that he took the old furniture and smashed it up, before making two trips to the council tip.

He said: "Regretfully, the last load I put on the disused railway line, which was a ridiculous thing to do.

"The farmer, who I knew, told me to go down and pick it up. I went down but it was very slippery and a steep bank, so I never brought it all up. A week later, I went and brought back everything there was down there."