Gardeners could be slapped with a £5,000 fine for this garden waste mistake

Exterior of a timber clad, oak framed house with lawn and flower beds. A new build oak framed two bedroom house in the New Forest in Hampshire, home of Elizabeth and Derek Sandeman

How bad could a garden waste mistake really be? Well, it depends: if you've accidentally thrown away something that's integral to one of your must-try garden ideas, it's definitely a downer.

If you've accidentally spread an invasive plant species, though, you could be slapped with a £5,0000 fine – or even sent to prison for 3 months. Yikes.