Getting rid of old furniture or mattresses that are no longer used can be complicated, especially when you do not have a vehicle to take them to a clean point. However, Leaving them on the street without authorization can end in a fine, even when they are deposited near the home itself. This is what happened to a 24-year-old woman in the United Kingdom, who left two mattresses on a sidewalk a few meters from her house and was sentenced to pay more than 1,500 pounds (about 1,867 euros) after the City Council reported her for illegally abandoning waste.
As explained from their own Mansfield Town Council through its websitethe woman left the mattresses on the sidewalk very close to her house and was captured by surveillance cameras while doing so, which allowed municipal employees to identify her.
After verifying what happened, City Hall workers went to his home and showed him the recordings, to which he acknowledged the violation. At first, they offered him the possibility of paying a reduced fine of 122 pounds (about 146 euros) if he paid it within seven days, or 400 pounds (about 479 euros) if he did it within fourteen days. However, the young woman did not make the payment, so the council decided to take the case to court.
The fine of 122 pounds ends up becoming a sentence of more than 1,800 euros
The case went to court, although the woman did not appear at the court hearing and was found guilty in her absence. During the procedure, the City Council provided the recordings from the security cameras and explained that the sanctioned woman had acknowledged the facts when the officials came to her home.
Finally, the court imposed a fine of 300 pounds (about 359 euros) for abandoning the mattresses on public roads, to which were added 1,138.56 pounds (about 1,364 euros) in legal costs and a surcharge of 120 pounds (about 144 euros). In total, the woman will have to pay 1,558.56 pounds (about 1,867 euros) and, in addition, she has ended up with a criminal record.
The City Council explained that the situation could have been avoided, since the owner had several options to dispose of the mattresses without violating the regulations.
Among them, he could have requested the municipal collection service for bulky waste or taken it to an authorized recycling center, instead of leaving it abandoned on the sidewalk.
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“The litigation was totally avoidable,” they pointed out from the council, from where they recalled that not paying the first fine had ended up making the penalty much greater.