Woman fined £400 after reporting fly-tipping

Julie Hancock was fined after she reported fly-tipping to Stoke-on-Trent City Council

A woman has said she was interviewed under police caution and fined £400 after she reported fly-tipping to her local council.

Julie Hancock, from Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, said she reported some furniture which had been dumped in an unadopted alleyway at the back of her home in September.

She said she heard nothing from Stoke-on-Trent City Council until 4 December when she received a fine for the goods she reported.

The authority has since quashed the fine, and said it was investigating the matter.

Ms Hancock said her name was identified on some packaging which was found nearby the dumped furniture, and that council inspectors had linked the fly-tipping to her.

She was interviewed under caution, she said, and felt as if she was guilty for something she had not done.

She said she had reported fly-tipping previously, but the council had failed to act on the concerns.

“It’s a notorious alleyway,” she said.

She explained the council later agreed to lower the amount of her fine to £80 and she had initially considered paying this amount, but subsequently refused to.

“They agreed to do four £20 payments, and I went to court because I thought I had no option at all.”

She added: “I thought, no, I’m not paying it. Why should I pay it?

“I haven’t done anything wrong - I’m the person who reported it.”

'You feel guilty'

Ms Hancock took her case to her ward councillor and the head of the environmental crime team, who agreed to quash her fine.

“It’s made me feel so paranoid about putting things in the bin,” she said.

“You feel guilty, and all you’re doing is putting your rubbish out.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has recently held a high profile campaign to clamp down on illegal dumping in the city.

The environmental services team has issued more than 1,500 fixed penalty notices and cleared 5,186 incidents of illegally dumped waste since January 2023.

A spokesperson commented: “The environmental crime team is investigating the matter and in accordance with the council's zero-tolerance approach will hold to account those who irresponsibly dispose of waste.

“We cannot comment further as the investigation is still ongoing.”