Couple fined £1,200 for fly-tipping after bin bag 'stolen from outside their home'

A young couple have been stung with a hefty £1,200 fine following accusations of fly-tipping when one of their bin bags— which they say was removed from outside their home—was discovered a mere 30ft away. Abigail Swinn, 24, a nursery worker and mother of three-year-old Lexi, together with Travis Raggo, 25, were each hit by £600 penalties after the abandoned rubbish led authorities to their doorstep.

Abigail, from Boston, Lincolnshire, said: "It's ridiculous to think we would fly tip outside our own home when it was bin day." She added: "I'd even checked on the council website which stated you can leave up to four bin bags out with your bin."

The issue arose when the couple, in the midst of decluttering their bedroom, transported nine bags to the tip and left two for the scheduled collection due to insufficient space in their vehicle, reports the Manchester Evening News. Boston Borough Council issued penalty notices and shared a photo of the offending refuse bag online.

Abigail said: "We'd just thought the bins had been collected but one day an enforcement officer knocked on our door and accused us of fly tipping. I have no idea how the bin bag was ripped open. at first I thought it could have been a fox but there was no food in the bag."

"I looked on Facebook and apparently the day before a man had been pictured stealing someone else's bin bags. I've heard other incidents of people's rubbish bags being stolen for any clothes which might be inside."

The couple reported the peculiar incident to Lincolnshire Police, who recorded it as antisocial behaviour, Abigail said: "We haven't paid the fines and I'm trying to ask the council to cancel them because it is just not fair. We haven't done anything wrong.

"We might have to pay up though because if we lost any court case we'd face a criminal conviction or up to a £50,000 fine. We can't risk doing that, we don't want a criminal conviction."

Boston Borough Council has the authority to issue Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) as high as £1,000 to violators. Following a push initiated in July to eliminate fly-tipping, a council spokesperson said: "We take allegations of environmental crime offences very seriously as it impacts the cleanliness and safety of our community."

The council also pointed out their efficiency, having distributed 237 FPNs over the course of a year adding: "If a member of the public contacts us regarding a fixed penalty notice, we are committed to reviewing the circumstances around each case and ensuring that the correct process is being followed."