A grandmother has been hit with a £500 fine for “fly-tipping” after leaving a neatly-folded bag of clothes next to a full charity donation bin in Kent.
Susan Cowdery, 66, was slapped with the penalty by Dartford Borough Council after placing donated items beside a British Heart Foundation collection bank on Hawley Road.
The council traced the recently-retired pensioner using a Ulez-style ANPR camera, which records number plates, at the drop-off point.
Cowdery, who herself frequently removes fly-tipped rubbish from her local streets, said she was “shocked” by the accusation of deliberately blighting the area.
Susan Cowdery was slapped with the fine after leaving her bag next to a BHF clothing bin
PA
“I thought because it’s full-up it’s probably going to be collected soon,” Cowdery told Kent Online.
“I abhor fly-tipping and fly-tippers. I am a responsible citizen who regularly clears litter from my roadside area.”
The grandmother had brought old clothes belonging to herself and her grandchildren to donate to the charity.
She received the fixed penalty notice on August 27 – which she subsequently appealed to the council.
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Cowdery, alongside her husband Phil, are now refusing to pay the fine
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While officials agreed to extend the payment deadline, they refused to cancel the fine.
The experience has been so stressful for Cowdery that she claims it has raised her blood pressure.
Cowdery, alongside her husband Phil, are now refusing to pay the fine, and have said they are fighting it on principle.
Phil visited the donation site for five weeks after receiving the fine and found it was consistently full.
He explained that he has “never seen the bin empty.”
Phil also noted that warning signs were not placed next to the donation banks themselves, but rather on a nearby metal fence.
The couple, who have nine grandchildren between them, believe a warning would have been more appropriate than the hefty fine.
British Heart Foundation area manager Jack Watson apologised for the couple’s experience and admitted the Hawley Road bin was the only one of four Dartford donation points emptied fortnightly rather than weekly.
The charity has now temporarily increased its collection frequency at the site.
“If one of our donation banks is full or your local shop is closed, please don’t leave your bag outside,” Watson said.
But a Dartford Borough Council spokesman said the fine would stand, and warned that one discarded bag can rapidly encourage further fly-tipping.
The council said: “We appreciate that her intent was good, but ultimately, she chose to leave the bag outside of the BHF bin, despite the clear signage advising that anything left outside may be treated as fly-tipping or littering.”