I was fined £150 for putting my bins out 4 hours too EARLY before going on hol – I'll be seeing the council in court
Leon Wright, 40, came home with wife Amy, 34, to discover an enforcement notice had been posted through his letterbox.
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Leon and his wife Amy were away for their honeymoon when they were fined
Credit: SWNS
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The council claims Leon broke the rules when he left his bins outside four hours early
Credit: SWNS
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Leon refuses to pay a penny of the £150 fine
Credit: SWNS
The couple live in a flat above a row of shops in East Twickenham, southwest London.
Following council guidance the pair
Their local authority, Richmond Council, says residents should not put their bags out before 8pm the night before collection.
Wright admits that he put his bins out four hours early at 3:25pm but claims the fine is undeserved.
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He put his bins out at the latest possible time before leaving to Heathrow Airport.
The couple then jetted off on a flight at 7:10pm for a
Mr Wright said: "I only put it out a few hours before. It was the last thing I did before we left for holiday and the latest time that I could leave it out.
"I came back from my honeymoon with a fixed penalty notice from Richmond council. It said that we had to pay it within ten days, but we couldn't because we weren't even there.
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"It was very surprising. We had never had any problems with the
"I do my best to follow the rules but it was literally just a few hours before the collection window so I never thought they would send fines straight away."
Scotland's £45 Garden Waste Bin Charge Sparks Outrage
Ten days later, Mr Wright claims he and his wife Amy returned home to discover the
He claims the penalty is against government guidelines but the local council has "refused" to cancel it.
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He said: "It says in black and white on the GOV.uk website that you can't issue penalties for leaving bins out a few hours early, which is exactly what they have done.
"They weren't in the middle of the walkway or obstructing anyone. This is just a blatant
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Leon and his wife honeymooned in Greece
Credit: SWNS
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The fine was waiting for the couple when they returned
Credit: SWNS
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"I am not paying it. This kind of thing just can't happen. It is absolutely wrong. I will
"It is not the money but the principle. There is no way I am going to let them get away with it."
The council fined Mr Wright under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 87.
They have since agreed to offer Mr Wright an extended timeframe to
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Mr Wright, however, is refusing to pay a single penny to the local authority.
He said: "It is definitely not what you want to see when you come back from
"My neighbours couldn't believe it. They were all shocked."
A Spokesperson for
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"To help achieve this, we encourage residents to follow the guidance on when to put
"Waste should only be placed out between 8pm the night before and 6am on the day of collection. When these rules are not followed,
"We understand that residents can sometimes make genuine mistakes, which is why there is a clear appeals process in place.
"While we don't comment on individual cases, any new information submitted through this process will be
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What is a hack for making changing the bin easier?
THERE is in fact a way to make your rubbish-collecting chores far simpler - and it involves using multiple bags.
Want in on the time-saving trick? Here's what you need to do.
Step 1
Take out a fresh bin liner and open it up - but don't put it in your bin yet.
Step 2
Take a second bin bag, place it inside the first bag and open it up - so that they're nestled inside each other.
Continue to do this until 10 bags are neatly inside.
Step 3
Carefully place the entire bin bag fusion inside your bin before folding the tops over the lip.
The next time you fill a bag, simply lift it up out of the bin and another one will be good to go straight away.
There you go! You'll never change your bin in the same way again.
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