'My bin was stolen': Telford man's protest as he is told to pay £400 for fly-tip outside his home
A Telford man who dumped a cardboard box full of rubbish on a footpath outside his home has been ordered by a court to pay £400 for fly-tipping.
Craig Bond of St Georges told magistrates he had put out a box of rubbish after his bin was stolen, expecting the bin collectors to take it.
Telford Magistrates Court heard that one of the borough council's neighbourhood enforcement officers found a box full of waste on a public footpath in Hollybirch Grove on August 23 last year.
The officer found letters in the box addressed to a C Bond and a check of the council tax network linked the address to Craig Bond of Hollybirch Grove.
He was issued a fixed penalty notice the same day, ordering him to pay £400 for fly-tipping - or £200 if paid promptly.
Bond made no payments and did not contact the council, resulting in a court summons on Monday.
Prosecuting on behalf of Telford & Wrekin Council, Miss Ashleigh Pennill told the magistrates the cost to the council of bringing the prosecution was £897.21.
Bond told the court: "I had my bins stolen. I had the box out, it's next to where the normal bins are.
"I put it out expecting the binman would take it."
Chair of the bench Mr William Drury asked him: "Did you just leave it there?"
"Yes, basically," Bond said. "It wasn't like a massive pile of rubbish, it was just a box.
"I couldn't afford to pay the £200."
After hearing that Bond, 35, does not work and receives benefits, the magistrates ordered Bond to pay £400 - less than half of what it cost the prosecution to bring the case.
Mr Drury told Bond: "What we don't want is to set you up to fail.
"The council have incurred significant costs in bringing this action to court.
"We're going to give them costs of £400 and we're going to give you a conditional discharge for 12 months."
Bond must also pay a victim surcharge of £26. All the money must be paid within 28 days.
