A single mother has been left fuming after being hit with a £500 fly-tipping fine for leaving an IKEA cabinet outside her home for people to take for free.
Isabelle Pepin, from Southbourne, Dorset, thought she was being community minded and environmentally friendly by offering the unwanted furniture to someone in her neighbourhood to have.
The 42-year-old stuck a sheet of A4 paper on it stating it was free along with a chest-of-drawers from the same furniture store, which was picked up after a short while.
This meant the cabinet was left on its own for a few hours before being moved back on to her driveway.
Miss Pepin was stunned when a council official knocked on her door three weeks later and told her she was being fined for fly-tipping and even threatened her with prison.
Isabelle Pepin, from Bournemouth, Dorset, thought she was being community minded and environmentally friendly by offering the unwanted furniture to someone in her neighbourhood to have.
The 42-year-old stuck a sheet of A4 paper on the IKEA cabinet stating it was free along with an chest-of-drawers from the same furniture store,
Miss Pepin was stunned when a council official knocked on her door three weeks later and told her she was being fined for fly-tipping and even threatened her with prison
The cabinet was left on its own for a few hours outside the house (pictured) before being moved back on to her driveway.
The graphic designer and artist was told she had 14 days to pay the £500 fine or it would be doubled.
Miss Pepin said people leave unwanted items outside their homes almost everyday for others to take for free and re-use.
A similar incident involving a carpet fitter also being fined £500 for leaving an off-cut outside his home for somebody to take for free has also been reported.
Miss Pepin, who lives with her eight-year-old son Bear, was making his tea when the council official turned up on her doorstep and demanded to know her name and date of birth before issuing her with the fine.
She said she started to record the visit on her mobile phone because she felt ‘intimidated’.
She said: ‘I have lived in this property for 12 years and I see people in the area leaving things out probably every other day. I love the community factor of it.
‘It’s not fly-tipping, that is not what is happening here. It’s recycling things people no longer want or need.
‘The guy from the council initially came when I was away and spoke with my housemate about the cabinet that was left outside for a few hours.
‘My housemate just laughed because he thought it was nothing serious and so he brought it back onto the driveway and said that he would get rid of it.
‘When my housemate told me I thought it was a bit weird but didn’t think much of it.
‘Then the guy came back and he was quite intimidating. He was wearing a chest camera and started questioning me about the cabinet.
‘I said it was part of the community and had been going on for over a decade. He said it was actually fly-tipping and of course I disagreed with him.
Miss Pepin said people leave unwanted items outside their homes almost everyday for others to take for free and re-use
Miss Pepin says the council officer demanded to know her name and date of birth before issuing her with the fine
‘He then told me that the maximum penalty is £50,000 and prison time. I am usually quite a confident person but by this point I was shaking and panicking.
‘He didn’t show any documentation or anything in writing. He did show me an ID card but it was very basic. It was just a picture of him, his name and BCP Council.
‘He said I needed to give him my name and address and I would be committing another offence if I didn’t. He then printed off a ticket, saying I had 14 days to pay £500 or it would go up to £1,000.
‘Once he left my mum and a friend, who were in the dining room, were asking me what was going on and they couldn’t believe it either. I burnt my son’s tea in the end.
‘It was really a horrible experience.’
Miss Pepin also questioned how the incident fits in with BCP Council’s environmental policies. In 2019 the local authority declared a ‘climate emergency’.
She said: ‘We are supposed to be pushing a green agenda but the council are going around fining people for recycling.
‘I don’t really like to buy new things. I never buy plastic things either.
‘My son was confused about why we were being punished for recycling.
‘I can pay the fine but it will just make things a little tight this month. They are probably on commission and they don’t really care.
‘The man was quite forthright and was trying to get me to admit on camera that I had done it.
‘I just fear that this is going to put people off doing this sort of thing.
‘I think they are just trying to get back money from people and it is just immoral.’
In very serious cases, fly-tipping is punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates’ Court (pictured: Ms Pepin’s road in Southbourne)
Jeff Hanna, a local Lib Dem councillor, said he disagreed with his own council’s heavy-handed approach and was looking into the matter.
He said: ‘I find it difficult to accept that this is fly-tipping, and think a £500 fine is excessive. I have told officers that I think at most a friendly warning should have been given.
‘Enforcement is not carried out by council officers themselves, but by a private company, and I have asked officers to review the contract to avoid this kind of inappropriate use of the legislation.’
Fly-tipping is defined as any illegal dumping of liquid or solid waste on land or in water – which is usually dumped to avoid disposal costs.
Before fines are handed out, local authorities are advices to gather as much information about the potential fly-tipping – including the location, the landscape, the amount and type of waste and it’s potential effect on the environment.
Councillor Kieron Wilson, BCP Council’s Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services said: ‘Action on fly-tipping is taken to ensure communities can fully enjoy the place where they live and have pride in their neighbourhood.
‘The Council is committed to tackling fly tipping and has contracted Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) to investigate offences and administer penalty notices on behalf of the council as appropriate.
‘Officers closely monitor and manage this waste enforcement contract, which includes regular reviews, and a commitment to responding promptly to any issues or concerns that may arise.’
Kelly Deane, BCP Council’s Director of Housing & Communities, said: ‘Since April 2023, 73 fly tipping penalty notices have been issued, with 15 issued in the last month alone.
‘Since April 2024, the Council has increased fines for fly tipping to the maximum of £1,000, in line with Government legislation, showing a robust approach.’
WISE have been approached for comment.