A man who dumped piles of rubbish in the street while disguised as a council worker has been found guilty at crown court of fly-tipping.

Brazen Roy Thompson, 52, was wearing a Haringey Council hi-visibility vest when he was spotted by a council manager ditching the waste beside a Texaco garage on White Hart Lane.

The council boss confronted Thompson, who was in his friend’s vehicle, which had the number plates taped over on August 18 at 9.15am. Not knowing who was challenging him, Thompson claimed he worked for the council, but his story quickly unravelled.

The following day Thompson was arrested at his home in Tottenham and taken to the police station. A council hi-vis jacket was found under the sink at the house.

He asked for the case to go to Wood Green Crown Court for trial, but he went on the run.

The Crown Court heard his case in his absence. The council manager was the prime witness in the case and after just one hour the jury unanimously found him guilty.

Police have issued a warrant for Thompson’s arrest and he will be sentenced once he is returned to court.

Cllr Peray Ahmet, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We vowed to get tough on fly-tipping and this crown court conviction shows we mean business. From the minute our council employee spotted the fly-tipper, it was a hands-on investigation for our staff, who worked tirelessly with the police on this case.

“Fly-tipping costs Haringey taxpayers more than £3million a year and ruins the streets for our residents. We are determined to tackle this expensive, antisocial, problem and will not hesitate to prosecute those who do it.”