Fly-tipping fine paused for council review

A woman who was fined £500 for fly-tipping after leaving furniture outside her home for free collection will not have to pay the penalty.

Isabelle Pepin, from Southbourne, Bournemouth left a cabinet on the street in September, saying she was "trying to recycle" the piece of furniture.

The mother-of-one refused to pay the subsequent fine and was issued a court summons by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council.

A letter from the council, received by Ms Pepin last week, said there would be no further action taken while the authority reviewed its fly-tipping enforcement policies.

Coverage of Ms Pepin's fine sparked a debate on fly-tipping, with Dorset's police and crime commissioner backing the council's stance.

Ms Pepin later had an appeal against the fine rejected.

She said was "delighted" to learn she would not have to attend court in the new year.

"It's great to know that before Christmas because there was some weight on my mind obviously and also the financial implications meant it wasn't going to be an extravagant Christmas for me and my little boy - but I can relax a bit now."

She said she hoped that this would now be the end of the matter but highlighted that the letter repeatedly said there would be no action taken "at this time".

Undeterred, Ms Pepin said she would continue to offer her unwanted items for free to members of the community rather than taking them to the tip.

"We need some clarification on the laws so people don't get fined unexpectedly for this sort of thing," she said.

Kieron Wilson, BCP Council's cabinet member for housing and regulatory services, said it would carry out a review of its policy having listened to the "recent strength of feeling from residents".

“During this review period, the council will pause any prosecution of individuals with outstanding payments and we have written to those individuals advising them. We will provide a further update in due course.

“In the meantime, if you see any fly-tipping in the area, please report it to the council directly so that we can clear it quickly.”

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.