A Walthamstow resident was erroneously issued with a ‘financially crippling’ £600 fixed penalty notice after leaving cardboard boxes on the pavement outside their home, reports Marco Marcelline

Inset: Jake Rees’ partner was issued with the fine in October. It has since been revoked.

A Walthamstow resident has hit out at Waltham Forest Council for erroneously handing his partner a “financially crippling” £600 fine after she left cardboard boxes propped against her front garden wall.

In November, Jake Rees’ partner, who asked to not be named, was issued with a since revoked £600 fixed penalty notice. It came after she had left several boxes on the pavement outside her home ahead of a collection day in October.

Speaking to the Echo, Jake said that since moving into his partner’s Hibbert Road property he had noticed “multiple instances” of rubbish “not being collected and emptied”. He added that the lack of consistent bin collections meant there was no space in his recycling bin for any of the cardboard he or his partner wanted to dispose of.

He said his partner had previously spoken to a bin man who agreed to take a number of large cardboard boxes when there was no space inside their recycling bin, which gave her “confidence” that she could leave the items on the pavement for collection.

The couple were then shocked to receive a fixed penalty notice on 13th November demanding that they pay a fine of £600 or face court proceedings leading to a larger fine or imprisonment.

In the letter, the council alleges that Jake’s partner had broken section 34(2a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 by “failing” to take “reasonable measures” to ensure that household waste was managed properly.

The couple, who chose to challenge the fine in writing, said the penalty is “unreasonable” and “financially crippling”.

Less than 48 hours after the Echo approached the council for comment for this story, Jake and his partner received a letter from Waltham Forest’s neighbourhoods and representation officer stating that there was “insufficient evidence” to prove that an offence was committed.

In a statement to the Echo, cabinet member for climate and air quality Clyde Loakes MBE, said: “This fixed penalty notice was issued in error. It has been withdrawn after the resident’s appeal was investigated, following our usual process for handling appeals. We have written to them to apologise for the mistake, and we have reminded officers to ensure they check collection times before issuing enforcement notices.”

The cardboard boxes had been stacked against the property’s wall when a council official saw them

In the aftermath of the council’s volte-face, Jake maintains that the council had acted with “disregard” for its residents’ financial realities by haphazardly issuing such a large fine.

He said: “As a person who cares about our community, I am deeply concerned at the disproportionate fines and language used in the letter sent out.

“I can only imagine the additional strain and stress for those people who are struggling in our community, amidst the cost of living crisis, upon receiving letters like this, and who may be less able to challenge the fines. Additionally, there is no information in the letters about options for those who cannot afford the wildly disproportionate fine, which is financially crippling.”

He further criticised the council’s “lack” of messaging on what to do when bins are full, and specifically on what to do with cardboard boxes. The council’s online checking tool for large item disposal does not include cardboard boxes in its drop-down menu.

Meanwhile, neighbours living in Hibbert Road told the Echo that the council was not cleaning the street regularly enough, with Graham Daniels saying the “very untidy” street invites “actual” fly-tippers to dump mattresses, fridges, and other household goods on the pavement.

He said: “We used to have street cleaners come at least once a week but there’s been an absence of them in the past two years – because of that it is very untidy and this encourages people to dump goods and fly-tip.”

He also stated that two litter bins on the street were regularly “full up” in the days leading up to collection. This results in rubbish piling up around the bins, he said.

Max Robinson, who lives opposite Jake, agreed. He stated: “Roadsweepers come very rarely and the whole street is currently covered in leaves. Every few weeks, I’ll notice a fresh mattress or fridge that’s been dumped on the street.”

A council spokesperson stated that the council spends more than £7m per year tidying the borough’s streets.

Missed collections can be reported direct to the council here

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