Basingstoke veteran fined for leaving clothes for charity

David Hughes, 66, of Malta Close, said he was fined £250 for leaving the clothes in a box next to a charity bin for the Air Ambulance and Children's Air Ambulance.

Mr Hughes, who served 20 years in the submarine service at Faslane Naval Base before being medically discharged, said he had to leave the box outside because the bin at Popley Community Centre was full and it had a flappy lid.

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“It’s disgusting,” Mr Hughes said.

“It was a small box of clothes that I couldn’t get into the bin. The council didn't accept that I left it for charity. All they were interested in was fining me for blind tipping. I don’t fly tip, never fly-tipped in my life. I was donating to a charity, not fly-tipping.

“If it was a mattress or an old cooker or something, fine. But this is clothes for a charity.”

Mr Hughes, who has rheumatoid arthritis and buckled hands and feet, said he got a letter from the council in the first week of June.

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Although he tried to appeal the fine, he was sent a fixed penalty letter just three days later.

“I paid the fine, but I was so angry when I paid it. Because if I didn't pay it within 10 days of receipt of the letter, then it goes up to £400.

“It was done in good heart. If there was a sign saying ‘don't leave clothes outside’, I wouldn't have put it down. But there is no notice. I was doing something for a charity for God's sake. Does the council really need that money off of a person like me?”

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Leader Cllr Paul Harvey said: “We take fly-tipping very seriously but as a new administration we also want to take a common sense approach, therefore we will be reviewing the policies for fly-tipping and also reviewing the fixed penalty notice issued in this case.”