Neighbourhood CCTV cameras captured a Milford Haven man stealing copper from a skip, a court has heard.

Leonard Bath, 32, of Biggins Hill, Waterston Road, Waterston, pleaded guilty to theft when he appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates on Tuesday.

The court heard that the victim had hired a skip while carrying out renovations at his Haverfordwest property, and had an agreement that any metal he wanted to dispose of could be sold on by the company and deducted from the cost of hiring the skip.

A neighbour’s CCTV was checked after copper piping and a heating boiler disappeared from the skip on June 27, and Bath and another man were spotted on the footage loading up a vehicle and making off with the metal.

Vaughan Pritchard-Jones, prosecuting, said: “The defendant was traced from his vehicle and admitted the offence, but said he was not sure he had committed it, as he had taken scrap from a number of skips, but couldn’t necessarily remember this one.”

It was estimated that the theft had cost the house-holder £40, which could have been deducted from the price of the skip.

Mark Layton, defending, said: “This just about crosses into criminal behaviour. Many people see things in skips and believe them to be abandoned by the owner. He did not check with the proprietor in this instance.”

He added that Bath made his living from dealing in scrap, but was not in good health at present and was unable to work full time.

Magistrates imposed a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered Bath to pay £40 compensation plus £85 court costs and a £20 surcharge.

The chairman of the bench said: “Let this be a salutary lesson to you. I sincerely hope that we do not see you in court again.”