Threat of £1,000 fine for mother who placed two extra bags next to wheelie bin
A MOTHER has been threatened with court and a fine of up to £1,000 after failing to pay a £75 fixed penalty for putting two extra bin bags next to her wheelie bin for collection.
Refuse staff went through the extra sacks outside Joanna Beck's home and reported her to bosses for “littering on the highway”.
Single parent Joanna 38, from Accrington, Lancashire, had carefully tied up the two bags before leaving them next to the bin in the alley outside her back gate.
So she was stunned to receive a fixed penalty notice from Hyndburn Council on February 5 ordering her to pay £75 within 14 days or face prosecution under the Environmental Protection Act.
The letter said: “Refuse bags were found and correspondence in the bags can be traced back to your address. The correspondence has been photographed for use as evidence if required.”
Unless she pays by today, council chiefs are threatening court, where she will face the fines.
Joanna has lived at the house for 18 months after moving from Blackpool and was not aware of the strict rules on recycling.
Ridiculous
The mother-of-three has pleaded with bureaucrats to settle the amount in instalments but has been told to pay by the deadline.
She said: “I asked what else I could do because I'm a stay-athome mum and have three children and I simply can't pay it.”
Father-in-law Julian Wilkinson, 70, said: “I rang the council asking them to extend the payment and we were refused and told Joanna will be in court if it is not paid.
“She has been fined £75 for dropping litter on the highway which I think is absolutely ridiculous.”
The council says penalties were explained in a leaflet Be A Binner Not A Sinner issued to residents.
Although Joanna may not have got it – because she arrived after it was delivered – the rules are available on the official website, the council adds.
Councillor Paddy Short said: “The system exists to stop fly-tipping with which we have major problems in the borough.”
A council spokesman said: “Enforcement action will be taken against residents who do not present their waste in their grey wheeled bin. If you dump sacks in a back street, you can be served a notice under Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act.”