I’ve been fined £2,500 & threatened with COURT because I put bin out a DAY early…council went through rubbish to find me
The mum was terrified of getting a criminal record
A MUM was stunned to discover she’d been threatened with a £2,500 fine and court proceedings over simply putting her bin out a day early.
Ariane Sherine, 44, had followed the usual procedure of putting her recycling bag out on the pavement outside her house.
But the mum-of-one had absent-mindedly done this on Monday rather than Tuesday evening – ahead of collection on Wednesday morning.
The next thing she knew, her local east London council had gone through her rubbish to pin down her identity.
Thanks to packaging from an Amazon delivery inside the bag, they were successful – and slapped her with a £100 fine.
Later correspondence stated that if she failed to pay this off, she could be prosecuted in the magistrates court and charged a whopping £2,500, the author and journalist claimed.
“I thought, oh my god, what if this gives me a criminal record,” she said.
“Then I won’t be able to get home insurance.”
In the initial letter, seen by The Sun, Ariane was instructed to answer a list of questions about the incident – in an “interview under caution” under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.
It added that if she did not reply to the letter, she may be forced to pay a £400 fine.
The Londoner told The Sun: “It was pretty scary because it said that I was being interviewed under caution under a specific legal act.
“It was like, wow, I just forgot bin day. That’s all. And I’m suddenly being interviewed under caution.
“I try and be a good person, do the right things, tell the truth, stay within the law.
“It never occurred to me that leaving my recycling out, just getting the day wrong, could lead to this kind of scary letter.”
Ariane protested the decision, but the council informed her it would be pressing on with a fixed penalty notice for the £100.
And when this took a week to arrive, she started to panic that the threats of a £2,500 fine and court proceedings might come to fruition.
She said: “I was just stressing all week.”
Ariane believes the incident was a result of council fears over intentional littering.
She added: “We’ve got a big problem with fly-tipping in our area.
“There’s always discarded mattresses and clothes on the road side. And I think I got caught up in that.”
It comes as a frustrated driver wracked up a remarkable six parking fines in a city he’d never even visited – and was even threatened by bailiffs.
Meanwhile, another motorist was hit with a £145 fine for parking in his own drive.
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
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