Isabelle Pepin, 42, from Dorset, was fined £500 for fly-tipping after leaving an IKEA cabinet outside her home for free pickup. The council fined her three weeks later, threatening her with prison, despite her belief she was being community-minded.
Is YOUR neighbour a middle-class fly tipper? Email: [email protected] have been urged to be lenient on 'middle-class fly tippers' after residents were handed fines for leaving items out on the street for passers-by to take for free.
In a new nine-page guidance form, the ombudsman has encouraged councils to first give residents advice and then a written warning before slapping them with fines. She told The Times: 'We have found fault in some cases across London in recent months, particularly where people have left their rubbish out at the wrong time and councils have taken an overly zealous approach to enforcement.
Ms Pepin, from Southbourne, Dorset, thought she was being community minded and environmentally friendly by offering the unwanted furniture to someone in her neighbourhood to have. 'The guy from the council initially came when I was away and spoke with my housemate about the cabinet that was left outside for a few hours.
Miss Pepin was stunned when a council official knocked on her door three weeks later and told her she was being fined for fly-tipping and even threatened her with prison
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dorset's Big Picture: 19 August - 25 August 2024Showcasing the best images sent to us from around Dorset.
Read more »
Dorset's Big Picture: 26 August - 1 September 2024Showcasing the best images sent to us from around Dorset.
Read more »
Royal Navy sailor dies after Merlin helicopter ditches off Dorset coastThe helicopter ditched in the English Channel on a night-flying exercise with HMS Queen Elizabeth
Read more »
Royal Navy service member dies after Merlin helicopter ditches off Dorset coastThe Merlin Mk4 helicopter was on a night-flying exercise with aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth
Read more »
Dorset's Big Picture: 2 September - 8 September 2024Showcasing the best images sent to us from around Dorset.
Read more »
Dorset's Big Picture: 9 September - 15 September 2024Showcasing the best images sent to us from around Dorset.
Read more »