'Christmas is ruined after council fined me £1,000 because I used the wrong bin'
Share:
A mum-of-five claims her family's Christmas has been 'ruined' after she was £1,000 given a flytipping fine for putting her rubbish in the wrong bin. Trisha Malone has been threatened with the four-figure sum - and a criminal record if she does not pay - for using a neighbour's communal bin. She said she had told Birmingham City Council her own bin was too small for a family of six, and claims she has been punished for doing the right thing. But the 39-year-old, from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, said her pleas to the council for leniency have been ignored.
Trisha, who cares for her son full-time, says she "can't afford" to pay the fine - and is worried that a criminal record could bar her from working in the NHS. She told Birmingham Live: "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 instalments.
"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." Trisha said she was worried she might be "locked up" if the fine went unpaid. "It could end up in court, I don't want that or a criminal record because I really want to work in the NHS. 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." Trisha said she was left with no other choice than to use the neighbour's bin, because her own was not big enough. The mum claimed she also only used her neighbours' communal bin in July because she was moving to temporary accommodation and had a lot of waste to dispose of. The mum, who has now returned to her home, said: "I told the council my bin wasn't big enough. There are six of us. I was moving into a temporary flat at the time and had a lot to throw away. The communal bin is only two minutes down the road from us and my son's friend lives in the flat. The bin isn't even in the estate, it's out on the road. I didn't think it would be a problem." The mum claimed she wrote to the council, admitting to dumping the rubbish, and asked for leniency after being fined in October, but said the council was pushing ahead with the fine.
