A man has had to pay more than £1,000 for abandoning a car and failing to remove it after council warnings.

Gerald Baxter-Warman, of Florence Terrace, Kingston Vale, dumped his 2002-registered silver Peugeot 206 by the side of the road near Putney Heath.

It was badly parked and was soon broken into by thieves. The council traced Mr Baxter-Warman and handed him a £120 fixed penalty notice, which he did not pay.

He was taken to court and found guilty of breaching environmental protection laws. He was ordered to pay fines and court costs totalling £1,168.

The council’s spokesman on cleaner streets Councillor Jonathan Cook said: "Mr Baxter-Warman made the foolish and also selfish decision to simply dump it by the roadside, where it became a magnet for criminal activity, an eyesore for residents living nearby and occupied a much-needed local parking space.

"And by failing to move it when he was asked or pay the penalty notice he ended up being saddled with a much heavier fine in court. I hope this serves as a lesson to other drivers tempted to dump their unwanted vehicles in someone else’s neighbourhood."

The council offers residents a free removal service for unwanted cars. For more information visit wandsworth.gov.uk/unwantedvehicles.