A hidden camera designed to catch fly-tippers in the act was destroyed when council workers sent to clear away the rubbish took the wrong bags.

The council hid the state-of-the-art video camera in a bag of rubbish and placed it at an illegal fly-tipping hotspot.

But, in a rather foreseeable blunder, workers sent to clear the site took the bag and the £10,000 piece of surveillance kit concealed in it.

'Because the camera had been hidden in something that looked like rubbish, they cleared that away as well,' admitted John Cherry, deputy leader of the Conservative-run council in Chichester, West Sussex.

'The workers didn't need to know the details of this sort of operation so they were just sent along to pick up the rubbish.'

The council would not admit how much the camera had cost. However, similar systems - which usually include a miniature video camera, a motion detector, and a recording unit - cost between £7,000 and £10,000.

The council would not say whether recordings had been lost along with the camera or where the site is located.

A spokesman for Chichester District Council said: 'We are required to consider whether the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the exemption.

'But we consider that as there are ongoing difficulties with this site, the investigation should take precedence.'

A spokesman for pressure group Privacy International said: 'It would be hilarious if it wasn't so sad. It just goes to show why local authorities require greater scrutiny and accountability.

'Frankly, the way they view surveillance and their responsibility to budgets should be called into question.'