Latest news with #bins
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Newlyweds fined £150 by council for putting the bins out early to go on their honeymoon have had fine scrapped
A pair of newlyweds were hit with a £150 fine after putting their bins out early so they could head to the airport to catch a flight for their honeymoon. Leon Wright, 40, and his wife Amy, 34, returned home from their Athens cruise to find an enforcement notice had been posted through the letterbox of their flat in Twickenham, southwest London. Their property falls under the jurisdiction of Richmond Council, who say residents should leave their bins on the pavement in colour-coded bags from 8pm the night before collection. Mr Wright admits he put his rubbish out at 3:25pm - some four-and-a-half hours before the advised time - but says the fine was unjust as he had to leave for Heathrow Airport and had no other option. The marketing manager decided to challenge the fine, and his efforts have ultimately proved successful, as Richmond Council has now cancelled the notice. 'It's such a relief to have the fine cancelled,' Mr Wright said. 'I only put [the bins] out a few hours before and it was the last thing I did before we left for holiday. '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.' He added that it was 'very surprising' to receive the fine as the couple 'had never had any problems with the council before'. Mr Wright continued: 'It's definitely not what you want to see when you come back from holiday. Especially when you are trying to do your best. '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. 'My neighbours couldn't believe it. They were all shocked.' Mr Wright says the fine was issued by WISE (Waste Investigations, Support and Enforcement), who are partnered with Richmond Council as a third-party enforcement agency. Initially, he carried out all communications through them - but was consistently told the fine would be 'upheld'. This was despite Mr Wright finding guidance that stated residents should only be fined if bins were put out before 2pm. Eventually, he contacted Richmond Council directly, who agreed he should not have been fined and cancelled the notice. Mr Wright said: 'WISE weren't listening to any of my complaints or legal arguments. They just stonewalled me and said the fine was upheld. 'So I complained directly through Richmond Council who said their policy means that if someone has put their bins out after 2pm they cannot be fined. 'If it had been before that, the fine would have been upheld. But it wasn't so they cancelled it.' Mr Wright put his bins out on May 27 before leaving to get a 7:10pm flight from Heathrow Airport for his honeymoon cruise from Athens. Ten days later, he and Amy returned from the trip to find the fine on their doorstep. Richmond Council said: 'We are committed to ensuring the borough's streets are kept clean. 'If it is discovered that there has been a littering offence, we may take enforcement action where appropriate. 'Residents can request a review of issued fines if they feel they have been fined unfairly or incorrectly.' Previously, a spokesperson confirmed that waste should only be put out between 8pm the night before and 6am on the day of collection. They added that enforcement action 'may be taken' when these rules are not followed. WISE have been contacted for comment.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Cleethorpes Douglas Road bins 'not emptied for weeks'
Residents in a part of Cleethorpes say their bins have not been emptied for weeks because refuse lorries cannot access their living in Douglas Road said the issue was because of the number of parked cars making it impossible for lorries to Silkstone said: "It's just over-full. The cars are parked near the corner and the bin lorries can't get round, so the bins don't get emptied."North East Lincolnshire Council said it was thinking of enforcing parking restrictions on a section of the street. Sidney Sussex ward councillor Sophia Farren is supporting residents who want something to be done about the parking said: "We're focusing on this one street."We do need to have some consultative work done in our communities to find out how we can alleviate this parking problem and sort this issue out." Farren said she was concerned the issue was a consequence of overdevelopment and unsuitable properties transforming into houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).Another resident, Robert Palmer, said: "Some of the houses are being turned into HMOs. Where are all the cars going to go? "It's going to get worse unless something is done about it."The council said it had written to residents in December and would be writing to them again regarding the problem of parked vehicles on the corner of Douglas Road and Laurier authority added: "We are currently considering installation of enforceable parking restrictions on this corner to assist, but this will need to go through the legal process in the coming months."In the meantime, we request that residents do not park on the corner of the street on collection days so that we can access the street and collect their waste and recycling." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
New bins installed along Tees in Stockton after 50 were scrapped
New bins have been installed along a stretch of land where 50 were previously removed after funding 2023, the Canal and River Trust (CRT) got rid of bins along a stretch of the River Tees in Stockton, saying it could no longer afford to meet the cost of emptying about litter have been raised regularly since, but Stockton Borough Council has now installed four new bins to help keep the area leader Lisa Evans said the local authority had listened to "what people have said about not having bins in this area". "The ward councillors and I have worked with CRT to install four new bins on their land, and the council will be maintaining them to make the area cleaner and a nicer place for everyone," she said."We've listened carefully to what people have said about not having bins in this area, which is very popular with both dog walkers and other visitors."Volunteer litter pickers had been cleaning up the stretch after the bins were CRT previously said it could no longer afford the annual £30,000 cost to maintain the Sean McGinley said the charity was facing soaring costs and stretched said it was upsetting that "people are still leaving litter, which then finds its way into the river". Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
13-07-2025
- BBC News
Rotherham anti-social behaviour measures in Eastwood extended
A council order which aims to tackle a range of anti-social behaviour from not bringing in your bins to rowdy behaviour has been extended for the second Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) covering Eastwood in Rotherham was initially introduced in 2019, renewed in 2022 and will now last until decision to extend the measure, which can result in a fine or fixed penalty, came after public consultation and "mounting concern over persistent issues" in the Fitzwilliam Road area, Rotherham Council Saghir Alam said the order was "crucial" for maintaining safety and cleanliness. The first Eastwood PSPO was prompted by complaints about litter, fly-tipping and vermin in bins on the street, according to the Local Democracy Reporting was reportedly one of the first orders in the country where residents could be fined for not bringing in their bins, and the council confirmed that unusual clause would remain with the current on public drinking, abusive language, and behaviour which could cause alarm or distress would also remain, the council area covered by the PSPO includes Fitzwilliam Road, the Doncaster Road corridor, Eldon Road, and the stretch up to the Mushroom a consultation period earlier this year, a number of concerns about a lack of enforcement of the order were Yorkshire Police records showed anti-social behaviour (ASB) incidents in the area had "increased steadily" since the order was last renewed, with 568 reports between 2021 and 2024.A total of 60 Fixed Penalty Notices have been issued since the order was introduced. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
BBC News
24-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Tewkesbury wheelie bins 'a blight' on historic town centre
A petition has been started to pressure a council to issue fines and control the number of bins left on the street of an historic Civic Society has said the bins are spoiling a conservation area, and suggested homes should only be allowed wheelie bins if they can store them also wants the council to provide screened areas for bins when storage is not possible. Chair Alan Purkiss said the society wanted to protect the town's conservation area, adding: "We've got a lovely heritage of listed buildings, alleys and the riverside and it's been degraded somewhat by domestic and commercial bins." Mr Purkiss said it is becoming a real problem, with bins "prolific" on some of the smaller streets in Tewkesbury."There's lots of people living in town these days and it's not nice for them, it's certainly not nice for visitors. Would you want to take a photo of a nice building and have a bin in front of it?" he said."We would like to see the authority actually make fines a possibility, as once fines exist, people's habits change.""For people with a genuine need for putting a bin somewhere, it can be handled with the blue bag policy or some kind of community facility - there are ways you can handle it. There needs to be a deterrent." Resident Debbie Whitfield, 61, said she agreed the bins look unsightly, but said issuing fines was too strong a measure."I think they should be moved, the town needs to look pretty again," she said. "I don't think it should go that far [issuing fines], but they should be warned by the council if they're not removed." Another resident Trevor Bunt, 63, said he was concerned about where the bins would be stored."It's a good idea, but Tewkesbury is a small place and they don't have enough places for bins any more," he said."In theory, yes, it would be nice if they were out the way, but they need a solution first."The petition has been signed by nearly 240 people, and will be discussed by Tewkesbury Borough Council on Tuesday 23 officers said enforcing the issues within the petition is "a heavy-handed approach" and would take "additional resource to do so".They have recommended the council supports the petition organiser in his efforts to take a community led approach to the Murray Stewart, Lead Member for Environmental Services said: "We are fully committed to working with our communities and stakeholders to find a mutually agreeable solution for all and for the council's need to manage waste and recycling."
