I put two boxes next to my bin on rubbish day & was slapped with £600 fine – now I’m being interviewed by the cops
A MOTHER says she has been hit with a £600 fine for "fly tipping" after leaving "two boxes" next to her bin.
Heather Twigg, 37, received a letter from Stoke-on-Trent City Council accusing her of dumping the rubbish on or before March 21 this year.
The council warned her that if she failed to pay within 14 days she could be dragged to court - and face a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months in prison upon indictment.
Heather is refusing to pay the £600 penalty and now faces being interviewed under caution by an environmental crime officer.
Heather, from Fenton, says she had left "two boxes" next to her wheelie bin on collection day, and bin men had in the past always taken additional rubbish left out in this way.
But she says she noticed after returning from the school run that the waste had not been taken, so she put it in her bin and brought it back to her garden.
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The next day she was fined by the council.
Heather said: “The bin men had always taken any additional rubbish without fail.
"If it had not been bin day or I’d dumped it up the street then fair enough - but it was bin day.
“I’ve got no need to leave the rubbish on the street. I have a car, I have a trailer, I can go down to the tip to take different things.
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"I’ve got no need to fly-tip.”
Heather suspects one of her neighbours reported the additional waste to the council.
She says a fly-tipped swing set and garden chairs had been left abandoned in the street for days without any apparent council action until a scrap man collected it.
Heather added: “The fine has no time on the photos, no date, and there is nothing that’s got my name on it or says it’s mine.
"There is no evidence that the rubbish was mine or that I put it there.
"A neighbour took the photo before the bin men came and it appears the council is just taking their word for it.”
Heather has refused to pay the £600 penalty.
She will now be interviewed under caution by an environmental crime officer.
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A Stoke-on-Trent City Council spokesman said: “The environmental crime team is investigating the matter and, in accordance with the council's zero-tolerance approach, will hold to account those who irresponsibly dispose of waste.
"We cannot comment further as the investigation is still ongoing.”
Fly-tipping rules in Stoke-on-Trent
Fly-tipping is illegally dumping rubbish and waste.
It can take place next to a public bin, a street corner, any public street, alleyway, grass verge or public land, according to the Stoke.gov website.
Incidents of illegal dumping can be reported online.
A notice on the Stoke government website warns that "due to the high amount of demand", it may take "up to 30 days" to remove fly-tipping.
Delays can be caused while local authorities run checks to discover who owns the land or "due to different equipment being needed to collect certain items".
The council can investigate and prosecute all offenders caught if there is evidence or a witness for a case of fly-tipping on either public or private land.
On private land, it is the responsibility of the land owner to clear fly-tipping.
If an area of private land is very untidy and becoming a nuisance in the neighbourhood, it can be reported online and the council can use enforcement powers to investigate.
Waste, Street Care & Greenspace Services can be contacted on 01782 234000.