July 21, 2014 6.19 pm This story is over 115 months old

Lincoln woman taken to court for leaving her bins out

First case of its kind: A Lincoln woman who repeatedly left her rubbish bins out in the street was taken to court and fined £100.

A Lincoln woman who repeatedly left her rubbish bins out in the street was taken to court and fined £100, in a first such case brought on by the City Council.

Lincoln Magistrates Court heard on July 21 that Victoria Todd, 28, of Coulson Road, was given two opportunities to remove the bins before a fixed penalty notice was issued.

After failing to pay the fine, Ms Todd was taken to court, where she admitted ignoring a legal notice and failing to ensure her bins were removed from the street after collection.

She was given a six month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £100 costs after failing to comply with a section 46 notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Sam Barstow, Service Manager for Public Protection and Anti-Social behaviour at the City Council, said: “Bins on the street can be a real problem for people making their way around our city.

“In particular, those who are disabled, pushing push-chairs or carrying a good handful of shopping bags can find it a real struggle to navigate past bins on public footpaths.

“Bins also detract from the quality of our neighbourhoods and drag the image of an area down.

“The city council, its partners and community members take pride in the city street scene and we collectively seek to make improvements wherever possible. This work is part of that ambition.

“This is the first court case taken by the City Council under a new procedure for dealing with these types of issues and so this result is particularly encouraging.”

Anyone who experiences problems with neighbours leaving their bins out can call the Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Team on 01522 873378.