A BRICKlayer was fined £700 yesterday after police found rare birds' eggs in his house.

John Penman, 43, of Crook, County Durham, pleaded guilty at Bishop Auckland Magistrates' Court to possessing four eggs belonging to the little ringed plover, and six raven eggs.

Police raided his home in January last year and found 108 eggs in plastic food containers, two of which had the date July 2001 on the front.

Robert Willoughby, mitigating, said Penman admitted he should not have had the raven and plover eggs, but produced a receipt showing the rest had been bought at an auction house in 1973, before the Wildlife and Countryside Act came into force.

He said: "The receipt effectively only relates to lot number 18 - birds eggs. Unfortunately, it does not specify the amount allocated and he could not match up the receipt with specific eggs.

"However, if they did, he would probably have a good defence and these charges may not have been made in the first place."

He was fined £400 for possessing the plover eggs, £300 for possessing the raven eggs and ordered to pay £75 costs. The eggs were confiscated.

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds investigations officer, Chris Townend, said: "A £700 fine was a good result and it sends out a clear message to other offenders.

"Had the evidence come two to three weeks later, it could potentially have been a prison sentence.