Two DFS delivery drivers have been fined more than £2,000 after they dumped an old sofa by the side of a road.

Andrei Jureschi, 26, and Tony Nunes, 36, delivered a new sofa and took the old one away before chucking it in a road in Epping Forest.

The two defendants delivered the new piece of furniture and took £80 to dispose of the large red corner sofa from a customer in Leytonstone.

They later illegally dumped the unwanted one last October in Epping Forest, which is a protected site of special scientific interest and a special area of conservation.

At Chelmsford Magistrates Court on March 3, Jureschi of Wembley, and Nunes, of South Woodford, were given fines totalling £2,160 after both pleaded guilty to fly tipping.

The City of London Corporation, which protects the site as a charitable trust, prosecuted the defendants using the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Graeme Doshi-Smith, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee, said today (April 19): "Clearing dumped rubbish forces us to divert nearly half a million pounds a year away from wildlife and conservation projects to simply disposing of waste.

"Epping Forest as a registered charity relies on the public for income and donations to protect the site.

"As the ‘green lungs of London’, Epping Forest is of huge national importance and we will prosecute anyone found dumping rubbish here."

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

DFS apologised for the "unacceptable" sofa dumping and said Jureschi and Nunes will never work for them again.

A spokesman for the firm added: "The overwhelming majority of our customers’ orders are delivered by our dedicated in-house delivery experts at The Sofa Delivery Company.

"However, during particularly busy periods, we work with a small number of sub-contracted delivery partners.

"In this instance, it was a third-party contractor acting completely of their own accord and without authorisation, who disposed of the customer's old sofa in such an irresponsible way.

"We acted quickly to apologise to the customer and ensured a refund of the money they were incorrectly charged for the disposal of their sofa."

The City Corporation prosecuted 17 people for fly-tipping over the last year. Anyone who witnesses fly-tipping in Epping Forest can report it to The City Corporation on 020 8532 1010.