Richard Pugh, 35, admitted that he damaged Offa’s Dyke, which follows the ancient border between England and Wales, with his farm equipment.

Although he had previously pleaded guilty to the charge of destroying or damaging an ancient or protected monument, he had insisted that the damage was caused by his livestock.

Judge Rhys Rowlands, sitting in Mold Crown Court, said his original explanation was “unbelievably ridiculous”, BBC News reports.

He stressed that Offa’s Dyke is a “monument of national, indeed it doesn’t overstate it to say international importance”.

The judge added: “It was either to keep the Welsh out of England or the opposite, and I don’t know why the Welsh would want to go to England.”

Pugh was ordered to pay a fine of £1,500, prosecution costs of £500 and a £150 surcharge.