Householder fights 'unfair' £1k fly-tipping fine

Mr Quillan said there was "no obstruction" and so he appealed the £500 fine

A man has refused to pay a fly-tipping fine he said was issued after he left two old doors outside his home for four hours.

Damian Quillan, from Christchurch, Dorset, said he replaced the doors in his house in July and left the old ones leaning against his rear gate.

He said he took them to the tip on the same afternoon but received a fine from Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council five days later.

The council said it only issued fines for items left on the public land.

Mr Quillan would like to see enforcement officers knock on people's doors and explain the situation before issuing fines

Mr Quillan said the doors were cut in half and put in an area where the neighbours keep their bins.

He said there was "no obstruction" and so he appealed the £500 fine, which has now increased to £1,000.

"I received another letter which said 'we've read your appeal and we've found you guilty because you've admitted you put the doors outside to go to the tip, so you're responsible'," Mr Quillan said.

He said he had "no direct communication with the enforcement officer" who took the photographs of the door, and the first he heard of the issue was when he "received the letter in the post".

'You risk a heavy fine'

Mr Quillan, who risks court action for not paying the fine, said there needed to be better "education" from council contractors, who he described as "overzealous enforcement teams".

He would like to see them knock on people's doors and explain the situation before issuing fines.

Mr Quillan's case comes after BCP Council fined Southbourne resident Isabelle Pepin £500 for leaving a free-to-take cabinet outside her house.

Councillor Kieron Wilson, BCP Council’s portfolio holder for housing and regulatory services said: "The clear definition of fly-tipping is illegally depositing waste onto land without a licence to do so.

"That means, if you leave waste on land that isn’t yours, you risk a heavy fine. We encourage anyone who wants to leave items still in good condition for others to pick up and re-use, to do so on their own property.

"Our contractors only issue fines for items left on the public land, such as the road or pavement.”