Residents in London have been repaid £40,000 after being handed fines for leaving their rubbish out on the wrong day or missing their collection slot. Haringey Council penalised the householders on the basis of fly-tipping, but it has been ordered by the Local Government Ombudsman to issue refunds and cancel any outstanding fines.
As reported by MyLondon, the controversial punishments were dished out to people who lived above shops and businesses and were without wheelie bins. Instead, they were instructed to leave their waste outside at allotted hours during twice-daily collections. Missing those slots risked incurring a £400 fly-tipping fine.
Anybody penalised was given 14 days to pay or — with no formal grounds of appeal available — attend a court hearing that might cost them up to £2,500. Isabelle Langlois, who lives in Crouch End, received a fine last year for leaving her rubbish out just 35 minutes before her allotted time, prompting her to complain to the ombudsman.
