‘Snooping litter enforcers have turned us into nervous wrecks'
Residents in a London commuter town claim they are being snooped on by heavy-handed enforcement officers hired by the council to fine fly-tippers.
Households in Welwyn Hatfield, Hertfordshire, said they had become 'nervous wrecks' putting out their recycling bins after one was hit with a £500 penalty when officials, employed by the Labour-run council, spotted their address on a single flyaway envelope.
And in another bizarre example, a Ukrainian refugee was accused of dumping a huge builder's sack of garden waste several streets away from her home – despite not owning a garden.
Last September, Welwyn Council signed a contract with District Enforcement, a private company, to issue fines on the local authority's behalf for littering and fly-tipping.
However, Tony Kingsbury, the opposition councillor, said the council's 'heavy-handed' decision to hire enforcement was driven by financial rather than environmental motivations and accused the local authority of 'picking on the low hanging fruit'.
Council to pocket £20k
District Enforcement – which provides other services to councils such as managing car parks and moorings on Britain's waterways – receives a cut of the income from each Fixed Penalty Notice. Meanwhile, Welwyn Council, which is hiking tax bills by the maximum 2.99pc, receives a proportion of this revenue.
Council documents, according to Mr Kingsbury, state the local authority will pocket £20,000 from the deal this year.
He said: 'It's in their advantage to fine people as they'll get more money for it. The incentive is to fine the easiest people possible so they're picking on the low hanging fruit.'
He highlighted how easy it is for a single letter to blow out of a bin, or for refuse workers to accidentally drop something: 'Yes it's right to tackle fly-tipping. But this is too heavy-handed. We see rural roads with piles of rubbish or a fridge dumped and we're talking about envelopes.'
Claire Hattam, a hospice worker, told the local democracy reporting service that dealing with the penalty notice had left her 'feeling ill'.
'These people are horrendous. I'm like a nervous wreck putting out my recycling,' she said.
'Targeted campaign'
A Ukrainian refugee was also left 'frustrated and upset' after receiving a £500 fine for allegedly fly-tipping a 'large builder's bag of garden waste,' despite living in a small flat with no garden.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, borrowed money to pay the fine as she was 'so scared of having to pay the increased fine or being taken to court in a foreign country' after receiving the 'intimidating' letter.
Deborah Ronchetti, who started a Ukrainian support group in Welwyn Hatfield after Russia's invasion, contacted The Telegraph on her behalf to highlight the 'targeted campaign by the enforcers'.
'She lives in a small flat with no garden, but was accused of dumping a huge builder's sack of garden waste several streets away. The bags are full of wood and sticks and certainly weren't dragged there by her,' Ms Ronchetti explained.
It comes as cash-strapped councils across the country are taking measures to increase revenue, including by hitting residents with parking fines and scrapping previously free services.
Samantha Jackson was another target. She was issued a fine for fly-tipping after leaving her name on cardboard boxes she used to donate clothes to a local charity shop, the Welwyn Hatfield Times reported.
She was fined because the boxes were found dumped by wheelie bins.
'The whole situation is disgusting. They are stressing people out and scaring them so that they pay. I am pregnant and do not need the added stress of potentially having to go to court over some boxes I used to donate clothes to a charity shop,' she told reporters.
She was initially given two weeks to pay, but then received a second letter the following day informing her that this had been reduced to five, before it would be escalated to court.
MP demanding 'personal and sincere' apologies
Meanwhile Tony Morton received a £500 fine despite living 150 miles away and never having visited Welwyn Hatfield, the local newspaper reported.
Andrew Lewin, MP for Welwyn Hatfield, has written to the council 'more than 30 times on behalf of constituents who I believe were wrongly fined.'
'I want to see District Enforcement write to residents who have been affected to offer a personal and sincere apology. It is the very least they should do in the circumstances,' he added.
The council has conducted a review but residents who have paid for the fines have not received a refund.
A council spokesman said: 'We understand that receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) can be upsetting. A representation process is in place and District Enforcement has apologised to individuals for any upset caused.
'It's important to clarify that District Enforcement officers do not receive bonuses or incentives based on the number of FPNs issued. As the pilot phase comes close to its end, we will be reviewing the service.'
A spokesman for District Enforcement said that a 'small number' of fines have been reviewed and either 'rescinded or reissued for lesser offences. We would like to apologise to those individuals for any upset cause.'
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