We’ve been fined £1,200 in bin mistake that’s NOT our fault – now we can’t afford Christmas presents for our daughter
A COUPLE has been slapped with a £1,200 fine from the council for fly tipping after one of their bin bags was nicked and ripped open.
Abigail Swinn, 24, and partner Travis Raggo, 25, were shocked to have Boston Borough Council at their doorstep demanding they cough up for something they didn’t do.
Nursery worker Abigail said: “It’s ridiculous to think we would fly tip outside our own home when it was bin day.
“I have no idea how the bin bag was ripped open.
“At first I thought it could have been a fox but there was no food in the bag.”
The pair had left two bags outside their house in Boston, Lincs, full of second-hand clothes and domestic rubbish.
Unbeknownst to them, thieves had grabbed one of the bags to nick the old clothes and dumped the waste along the street.
The bag and been torn open and rubbish was sprawled on the road 30ft away from where the couple had originally put it.
A few days after the thieves had rummaged through bin bags, the council rocked up to the house and accused Abigail and Travis of fly tipping.
They were fined £600 each after a discarded letter traced the rubbish back to their address.
Abigail, who is mum of three-year-old daughter Lexi, is now concerned the family won’t be able to afford Christmas.
The couple were amid renovating their bedroom and filled up eleven rubbish bags in the process.
After taking as many as they could in the car directly to the tip themselves, they decided to leave two out on Monday, October 28 ready for Wednesday’s collection.
To their horror, they were then slammed with the fine and even shamed on social media.
The council posted a picture of one of the pairs bin bag on Facebook in a bid to deter others.
Abigail added: “I looked on Facebook and apparently the day before a man had been pictured stealing someone else’s bin bags.
“I’ve heard other incidents of people’s rubbish bags being stolen for any clothes which might be inside.”
She then reported the incident to Lincolnshire Police which confirmed a report of anti-social behaviour.
Now Abigail fears the couple will have to pay up because if they lose the court case they would risk £50,000.
She said: “We can’t risk doing that, we don’t want a criminal conviction.”
Fly tipping is an offence that Boston Borough Council has aimed to crack down on and the organisation has handed out 237 fly tipping notices in a year.
It has warned that anyone caught fly tipping could be issued a penalty notice of up to £1,000.
The Sun has reached out to Boston Borough Council for a comment.
What happens if you break household waste disposal rules?
When can you be issued with a fixed penalty notice?
- If how you have disposed of your rubbish causes or is likely to cause a nuisance
- If how you have disposed of your rubbish has a negative effect or is likely to have a detrimental effect on local amenities
When can you not be issued with a fixed penalty notice?
- If you have put something in the wrong receptacle by mistake
- If you have forgotten to close receptacle lids
- If you leave receptacles out for a few hours before a collection
What are fixed penalty notices issued?
- First, the householder will receive a written warning, explaining how they have broken waste collection rules, what effect this has had, what they must do, and what will happen if they fail to comply
- Second, the householder will receive a notice of intent, explaining that they may get a fixed penalty and why, how much they’ll have to pay, and that they have the right to explain why they shouldn’t have to pay the penalty within 28 days of the date on the notice
- Lastly, the householder will receive a final notice, telling them why they have been given a fixed penalty, what they must pay, the deadline for the payment, what happens if they pay the penalty early, what happens if they do not pay and how they can appeal
Source: Gov.uk