MP questions woman's fine for free furniture offer

Jessica Toale MP said the council should focus on "real fly-tipping"

An MP has questioned a woman's £500 fine for leaving an Ikea storage system on a pavement for interested passers-by to collect.

Isabelle Pepin left the item in front of her house in Southbourne, Bournemouth, and said she had hoped someone else in the community could still make use of it.

A contractor working for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council issued the fine, saying the furniture had been left on a public highway rather than Ms Pepin's own property.

Labour MP for Bournemouth West Jessica Toale said the fine was "disappointing".

Ms Pepin said she believed in "keeping things out of landfill"

She said: "This, in some ways, is a distraction from the real fly-tipping you see, which blights local neighbourhoods.

"I think that's where the focus should be, not on people trying to recycle a piece of furniture which could be useful to somebody else."

The MP said she would consider whether to take up the issue of fines with relevant authorities.

Previously, the council said the cabinet had been left on the road for four days, had no sign indicating it was free to take and would have had no further useful purpose due to its "condition".

Ms Pepin disagreed, claiming there was "still life left in it".

She said previously she was considering taking legal action after the council rejected her appeal.

She said: "I do feel this is an excessive fine. There was no intention of fly-tipping. It was outside my own house."

A fixed penalty notice issued by the council for fly-tipping is £500 if paid within 14 days or £1,000 within 28 days.