Gregory Robinson
A woman was left feeling disgusted after she was fined £400 for trying to donate to a clothing bank.
It all started when Amy-Louise May, 29, from Boston, Lincolnshire, visited her local Asda on Lister Way to donate a bag of clothes and bedding at the store’s charity recycling bank.
She says she was trying to do a good deed by leaving a bags of her unwanted items at a bank upon her arrival on 31 August, but she claims things went awry as both banks were full, so she left the bag next to the bank for it to be collected later.
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However, Boston Borough Council disputes her claim that the two banks were full and instead says that the banks were emptied two hours before Amy arrived with her donation.
Amy, who works as a support worker, insists that the clothing banks were full, which is why she was surprised and 'disgusted' to receive a letter through the post ordering her to pay £400 for fly-tipping, which she says she cannot afford and that she wasn't fly-tipping in the first place.
"How can you penalise someone for trying to do good? It's not like I've just got a load of rubbish and chucked it there,” she said.
"I was disgusted when I got the letter. I had a breakdown. Life has been hard for me as it is. I've got my home to pay for and my car to pay for.
"It's either I pay that or I pay my rent. No matter what I'm in a bad situation. You can see what was in the bag and can see it was for charity."
The council keeps an eye on the recycling bank through a contractor called Enfortis, a private security firm which helps to find offenders whose number plates are captured on CCTV.
Councillor Callum Butler, environmental portfolio holder at Boston Borough Council, weighed in on the matter and said: "The clothing banks were emptied on 31 August 2023 two hours prior to the fly-tipping offence.
"The council has a zero tolerance to fly-tipping and clear signage is installed at recycling bring banks to advise people that any waste left outside containers on the ground will be considered as fly-tipping."