A Bulgarian couple have been caught trying to hand in 1,300 empty plastic bottles collected in their own country and cash in on the Dutch deposit system, the Telegraaf says on Thursday.

The couple, aged 27 and 24, were caught when passers-by tipped off the police after spotting them feeding the bottles into an automatic collection point in The Hague.

In total, they had five large bags full of bottles, the Telegraaf says. The couple were arrested and taken to a police station along with their six-year-old daughter. There it transpired they had pulled a similar trick several days previously.

They have been fined €350 and ordered to repay the deposits of 25 cents per bottle, the Telegraaf says.