A MUM-of five was slapped with a £1,000 fine right before Christmas for making a simple mistake with her bins.
Trisha Malone from Birmingham said the eye-watering penalty has ruined the holidays and she even faces a criminal record if she doesn’t pay.
Trisha, who is a full-time carer for her disabled son, put her rubbish in a neighbour’s communal bin.
When she was caught out, she explained to Birmingham City Council that her bin was too small for a family of six but didn’t want to leave her rubbish lying around.
To her dismay, her pleas to be let off were ignored and she claims the council has “no heart”.
“I can’t afford it. I have five children. When I pay my rent, I have nothing left, and the council is saying I have to pay it in full. There’s not even an option for installments,” she told Birmingham Live.
“I’m a full-time carer for my son. He’s six and paralysed down the left side of his body. This fine could ruin our Christmas. They have no heart.”
She’s now worried that she might be sent to prison if she fails to pay the fine.
“It’s not fair, I didn’t throw rubbish on the floor, it wasn’t actually fly-tipping. Some people throw stuff everywhere, on roundabouts and all sorts. I didn’t do that,” she added.
She said that her own bin isn’t big enough for the amount of rubbish that her family produces.
Trisha has argued that she has told the council that she needs a bigger bin but her requests have been ignored.
A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “We are not able to offer a comment at this stage while the legal process is ongoing.”
This comes as South Yorkshire council tightened rules around bin collections.
Residents who put the “wrong” rubbish in their bins could be hauled to court and fined up to £2,500 under a new council purge.
Town hall snoopers will also be checking on reports about house-holders who leave their bins out on the street after 7pm on collection day.
Those who complain their bins were not emptied properly will also face investigation with council bosses in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, using computer records to check the claims.
But those who follow the rules will get a special reward stocked, the council equivalent of a Blue Peter Badge, for toeing the line.
Eyebrows maybe raised at how complicated the council’s recycling rules already area, for example, greetings cards can be put in bins for paper – but not cards that have glitter.
