Cautionary tale after waste was dumped

READERS might find this story helpful. It was told by a resident at a meeting of the Gosford Park Residents’ Association. She was making some alterations in her house and this meant a good deal of household rubbish built up, including a rather splendid door with brass handles. She stacked all of it outside ready to take to the tip. As she was preparing to do this a man approached her and asked if he could take the whole lot away for £10. She said he seemed so keen she was considering trying to raise him to £15 but, as she had expected nothing for any of it, she settled for the ten. The man said he would be back to remove the stuff and they could square the account then. When she woke the next morning, some things had already been taken away (including the door) and she assumed the man would be back for the rest. Fearing for her tenner, she kept an eye out for him. He did come back and she went to ask for the money before he could disappear with the rest. He said she had misunderstood. The deal was that she had to pay him £10 to take it all away. She asked him to leave in lively language and he did, leaving the rest of the things where they were. However, as she later walked to the shops, she spotted her door. Together with all the other things that he had taken away – fly-tipped in an alleyway no distance from her own street. Another member of the GPRA pointed out (and two local councillors agreed) that she was still technically responsible for fly-tipping the waste, even if she had not done the deed herself. Readers – beware! George Moore Stoke