A man has been slapped with a hefty fine for dumping asbestos in the forest.

Anto Shanthakumar was found guilty of fly-tipping the toxic substance in Wake Valley car park in the ancient woodland.

The Ilford resident was made to pay a fine of £500, £562 in compensation as well as £1,500 towards costs after the City Corporation brought the prosecution at Chelmsford Crown Court on May 23.

Philip Woodhouse, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest Committee, said: “No matter how big or small, we have a zero tolerance policy against fly tipping in the Forest.

“It is dangerous to visitors and harmful to the wildlife that depend on this magnificent ancient woodland.

“We take every single case seriously and we will prosecute every time we have evidence to take these environmental vandals to court. We continue to create a hostile environment for fly tippers.”

The City Corporation cleans up an average of 600 fly tips - almost two per day - and 300 tonnes of rubbish every year in Epping Forest at a cost of £250,000.

This is money which could be spent on managing the Forest and volunteers spend over 7,000 hours a year collecting litter in the ancient woodland.

Epping Forest is London and Essex’s largest open space, attracting nearly five million visitors a year.