A man has been sentenced for spraying paint on to an ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) camera in south-east London.

Stephen Nunn pleaded guilty to criminal damage at Bromley Magistrates’ Court, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

The 60-year-old was given a 12-month community order involving 100 hours’ unpaid work.

He was also ordered to pay £349.78 in compensation to Transport for London, which operates the ULEZ scheme.

Nunn was caught by police officers on the evening of October 27 spraying white paint on to the camera in Hayes Lane, Bromley.

He used a “makeshift tool” involving a long pole and trigger mechanism featuring string, the CPS said.

A search of his home uncovered anti-ULEZ posters and stickers.

London South Senior Crown Prosecutor Alza Rashed said: “Stephen Nunn may well have thought, by dressing all in black and damaging the ULEZ camera late at night, that he might have got away with it, but he was caught in the act by police officers and arrested.

“Causing damage to ULEZ cameras will result in prosecution whenever our legal test is met.”

The expansion of the ULEZ area to cover the whole of London from August 29 has sparked a surge in vandalism of the scheme’s cameras, which use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles.

Nearly 1,000 crimes linked to the cameras being stolen or vandalised were recorded by police in just seven months.

People who drive in the ULEZ area in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are liable for a £12.50 daily fee.