Nottingham, England: A Nottingham man has been fined, in his absence, for failing to take his wheeled bin in off the street.
In the first case of its kind for Nottingham City Council (and possibly in the country), James Cousins of Sneinton was ordered to pay £845 after he had failed to put his bin away after it had been emptied by waste collection operatives.
The case could have far reaching consequences across the UK.
The court was told that a community protection officer visited the property on 16 May (Wed) last year to warn Mr Cousins that the bin needed removing from the street.
Although the collection day is on a Friday, Mr Cousins was served with fixed penalty notices on 11 July (Wed) and 17 July (Tues) after the bin was left out. Residents are expected by the City Council, to take their bins back in no later than 8 hours after emptying.
The fixed penalties were not paid within the 21 day statutory period and Mr Cousins was taken to court by the council.
Mr Cousins was summoned to appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court on Monday last, though he did not appear. In his absence he was fined a total of £550 for the two offences, ordered to pay £280 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
Wider influence of the case
The case will have been followed carefully by most other waste collection authorities in the UK who will inevitably have similar problems to solve. It is highly likely that, following the success of the City of Nottingham, many similar prosecutions will take place elsewhere in the future.
Nottingham Council hopes that the fines will encourage other offending residents to remove their wheeled bins from the street within the eight hours allowed, though the Council appears willing to take appropriate action where this proves to be necessary.