A grandmother was fined £400 for fly-tipping after she left a cardboard box outside her home for her son to take to the tip.
Pamela Holmes, aged 69, removed the 4ft 6ins and 4ft6ins plastic packaging to make a hot-tub lid from the grass verge just outside her semi detached property, Burton, Dorset.
It was the duty of her son, Dorset Police Detective Sergeant, to bring it to his home and take it away.
After seeing her address and name on the cardboard, a neighbor ‘dobbed’ her in to the council. A ‘jobsworth” council warden showed up at her door at 9.30am Thursday.
Mrs Holmes, a retired secretary, said that the officer had’read her her right’ and she worried she would be detained during the discussion at the door.
He gave her the £400 penalty notice, warning her that if she refused to pay the fine within four weeks she would be taken to court and liable to a maximum fine of £50,000.
Pamela Holmes (69) left the packaging measuring 4ft 6ins x 4ft6ins for a hot tub cover on the verge outside of her semi-detached home in Burton, Dorset on Wednesday afternoon
Holmes claimed she did not wish to pay the penalty, but said that she was not willing to appear in court and obtain a criminal record. It would be embarrassing for her son.
According to her, she left the scene spitting feathers and said that fly-tipping would have prevented her from dumping anything in her house with her name and address.
Holmes claims she is an easy target for the official. She claimed that the council had previously taken several days to address larger incidents of fly-tipping within the locality.
The woman said that the lid for the hot tub arrived Tuesday afternoon. She also stated that the cardboard was placed on the verge by the house so her son could pick it up and go to the tip.
“But, an official from the BCP Council knocked at my door at 9.30AM.
He said that there had been fly-tipping reports and asked whether the box was his.
Holmes claimed she did not wish to pay the penalty, but said that she was not willing to appear in court and obtain a criminal record. It would be embarrassing for her son.
“I answered yes. He read me my rights. I believed I was being arrested.
‘He said if I go to court I could be fined up to £50,000.
“I told him that the box was left there to my son, and he replied, “In light of my explanations, he was willing to give the matter a fixed penalty notice.”
‘When he said it would be for £400, I nearly fainted. It has been almost as expensive as the hot tub cover.
“I tried telling him I wasn’t flying tipping and, if that was the case, then why would I leave anything out of my home bearing my name, address and signature on it.
“There is so many fly-tipping of tyres etc. around her, but perhaps I was an easy victim.
“I do not want to pay the penalty, but if this were to be fought in court, I would have to pay an even higher fine and get a criminal history, which would embarrass my son who is a cop officer.
“I am spitting feathers around the entire thing. It’s a welcoming community. I have lived there for 8 years without any problems.
“People often leave toys or other objects outside of their home for others to use if they wish. When we had an apple tree, we left a box with apples for all to pick from.
“I don’t know who’s reported on us.
Sarah Boyce, a local resident posted this on social media. This seems somewhat unfair, even though we all want to stop flytipping.
Ryan Watts posted: ‘Poor lady’s got a £400 fine because some nosey b*****d thinks she’s fly tipped a package with her name on, outside her own house.’
BCP Council was contacted to comment.