A MAN who had bought a stainless steel chimney flue on eBay was stunned when he saw two men walk into his garden and start loading it into a van.

Michael Maxwell, of Chapel Street, Cam, 'shouted appropriate words out of his window' - and the men promptly put the flue back where they had found it, said prosecutor Mary Harley at Gloucester Crown Court.

In the dock was scrap metal dealer Scott Newman, 22, of Haydon Road, Tipton, Staffordshire, who admitted attempted theft of the flue on October 24 last year.

He was fined £400 and ordered to pay £350 costs and a £15 surcharge.

Mrs Harley said after the men had replaced the flue in the garden they drove away but Mr Maxwell took the van number and called police. The van was later stopped and Newman was arrested.

Thomas Walkling, defending, said Maxwell is a scrap metal dealer but on this occasion his standards had fallen.

"He understands his practices need to improve," said Mr Walkling.

Passing sentence, Judge Jamie Tabor QC told Newman: "Scrap metal theft is very prevalent, particularly with the country in an economic slump, and it is causing consderable disturbance.

"You, as a dealer, must be particularly careful and you were not."