The bags contained clothes that would have been used to help children and young people
A council threatened to issue fines to two pensioners for flytipping after they tried to donate to a disabled children’s charity. Barbara Wheeler, 73, and neighbour Margaret Bull, 84, put out clothing bags at the edge of the pavement in front of their homes in Tonbridge, Kent for charity Tree of Hope to collect.
But two weeks later they both received letters from enforcement firm Kingdom – on behalf of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council – saying they had fallen foul of littering laws. Ms Wheeler’s letter threatened legal action over a “suspected waste offence”, advised her to get a solicitor – and said she could be fined up to £1,000 if she did not respond.
Ms Bull’s letter said an enforcement officer had seen her littering and, as such, she was being issued with a £300 Fixed Penalty Notice – to be paid within 14 days.
Ms Wheeler, a grandmother-of-ten, said she has “lost sleep” over the incident. She said: “I know councils are strapped for money, but they are just going round prosecuting people. [On Tuesday] I walked around and to people who put charity shop bags out I knocked on their doors and said ‘please take it in, you will be prosecuted, I’ve got a fine, you’ll get a fine’.
“They couldn’t believe it, they said ‘it’s a charity shop bag, how can it be fly-tipping?’ I’ve lost sleep over this, I’m a pensioner as well. Me and Margaret both lost our husbands just over a year ago, this we just don’t need.”
The neighbours say they originally thought the letters were part of a scam. Semi-retired cleaner Ms Wheeler, whose half-full donation bag contained two jumpers, a cardigan, scarves, and a pair of gloves, says she is worried that charities will suffer due to the harsh policy.
She added: “I think it’s dreadful, these charities need peoples’ help. It was only bags of clothes that we put out, that’s all it was. It’s not fair – these charities need the things we put out. I had none of this when I was growing up.
“I had a wonderful childhood, lovely, but now it’s just gone mad. I think the country’s just gone mad, it’s not right.”
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council leader Matt Boughton said: “We understand how upsetting it has been for residents who have received these fines from Kingdom, and I am genuinely sorry for the distress it has caused. We have met with Kingdom to request an explanation for the decisions behind these fines, and to understand why the officer felt that fixed penalty notices were appropriate in these cases.
“Tackling litter and fly‑tipping across the borough remains an important priority for us, and enforcement is key to that. However, it is clear that these kerbside charity collections should not have resulted in action. We are urgently reviewing the circumstances to ensure this does not happen again and will continue to work with the residents.”
According to the BBC, a councillor visited Ms Wheeler yesterday and said the fines had been rescinded. Kingdom was approached for comment. Tree of Hope, which supports families to secure funding, resources and support for seriously ill and disabled children and young people, was approached for comment.
