Workmen who were branded “reckless” for hanging out of a truck to spray weeds had been hired without the local authority’s knowledge.
Two men were captured on film in Fyvie last week when a member of the public started recording a pick-up as it travelled around the village.
It shows one of the men within reaching out of the window to target weeds while the other drives.
A probe into the footage was launched by Aberdeenshire Council on Tuesday amid claims that the pair involved had been paid to carry out the work.
But last night the local authority revealed that the film was the first it had known about spraying.
It has since been discovered that the council’s original deal for the work had been sub-contracted out to a third party.
Philip Leiper, the council’s roads and landscape manager for the area, said: “This work was carried out by a sub-contractor of a firm we have contracted to carry out footpath works in the area over the coming months without our knowledge or authorisation.
“We have instructed the firm to stop using its sub-contractor and we will be reviewing our contract with them in light of the situation.”
The council has said it could not name the contractors involved.
Between April and May this year the authority has spent £1,047,167 on hiring outside contractors to carry out work for its environmental services team.
Local man Mike Rawlins, who filmed the workmen, said he was “shocked” by their actions.
“As far as the guy in the passenger seat being legal and compliant, I would doubt it,” he added.
Mr Rawlins runs a social media page where he first posted the clip.
Locals branded the men dangerous and lazy and called for their jobs to be stripped.
The Health and Safety Executive has made contact with the council over the film.