Mum with ‘bad back’ gets £400 fly-tipping fine for leaving aquarium outside home

A woman who claims she has a bad back has been left fuming after her council fined her £400 for fly-tipping outside her house.

Emma Haywood, 40, from Radcliffe, Notts, said she purchased the aquarium with the intention of setting it up at home.

Having moved the aquarium into her garden, she decided to leave the lower part of it – called the casing – at the front as she says she has been suffering with a bad back and claims she didn’t have anyone who could help her carry it inside, NottinghamshireLive reports.

She had left the casing outside for five days before Rushcliffe Borough Council issued her with a fine and letter stating that she must pay £200 within 14 days or be forced to pay a hefty £400 instead.

She said: "I had a tank in the front garden and the bottom of it, the casing part, was left out the front.

"So left it there for about 5 days but somebody came from Rushcliffe Borough Council and said to one of my neighbours that it was being investigated for fly tipping.

"Given we live in a small village there can be a lot of hearsay around here, so I took it with a grain of salt and thought that's a bit daft.

"I told them it is going to be moved in the next couple of days – I've pulled my back and I pulled my leg a couple of days ago – joys of being an older parent. But I just said I couldn't lift it right now.

"It's just ridiculous – there's no reason this should be a £400 fine."

Ms Haywood has said that she is apprehensive about paying the fine and claimed that it has taken a toll on her mental wellbeing.

She added: "This is causing significant mental health problems for me and I can't physically afford to pay this.

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"I have a partner who doesn't live here so he hasn't been here to help me lift it. My dad is my mum's carer so he can't help – he's 70, so I just don't have that support around me."

Rushcliffe Borough Council have claimed the fine has been administered partly due to the length of time that the casing was left outside.

A Rushcliffe Borough Council spokesperson said: “Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement (WISE) administered the penalty notice on behalf of the Council to the resident who had left the item on a grass verge and public land for at least five days.

“It followed a complaint by a member of the public and a previous request from the team to move the item. They have advised the resident to follow the appeals process as outlined on the notice, should they feel this is incorrect.”

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