We were fined £400 for a mistake anyone could make - but the council is forcing us to pay
This couple were fined £200 each for an unbelievably minor mistake.
A British couple have copped a £400 fine after the local council charged them for doing something which countless people likely do every year.
Ian and Deborah Day each got £200 fines from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, when one of them binned an envelope.
Deborah, who lives in Bentilee, was heading to work when she disposed of an envelope in a public bin.
Astonishingly, the council said her actions breached sections 87 and 88 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The rules prevent people getting rid of household waste in public bins.
The hairdresser, 47, along with her husband both got hit with the penalty charge.
Ian hadn’t put the envelope in the bin, he wasn’t anywhere near it when Deborah threw it away - yet the council decided to fine him too, the disgruntled wife claimed.
The Stoke-on-Trent city council used the address on the back of the envelope to find the couple, posting the fines with an attached picture of the envelope.
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Deborah branded the charge "ridiculous" and told said: “We have a lot of homeless people emptying bins and leaving rubbish around - it's ridiculous - I go to work and I pay my taxes.”
The Stoke hairdresser explained she was aware of a local man, who had lived in a freezer outside a shop, leaving rubbish strewn everywhere. But the council did nothing to stop him, she said.
Deborah has questioned the fine and tried to appeal, however the council insists she pays up.
The 47-year-old has steadfastly refused and says she'll "go to prison first" before paying the £200 fine.
She went on: “The council is fining innocent people instead of cracking down on the people who actually do fly-tip."
The charge has "annoyed" her as she is conscious of litter and puts it in the bin if she sees laying about the street.
A Stoke-on-Trent City Council Spokesperson said: "This case is currently under investigation with our Environmental Crime Team and we are unable to comment further at this time."
