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FINED BECAUSE MY BIN FELL OVER

Gary Rostron: Fined

Tuesday November 11,2008

By Paul Broster

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(18)

A HOUSEHOLDER who had his wheelie bin knocked over while he was out at work was prosecuted in a case that cost taxpayers thousands of pounds.

Care worker Gary Rostron, 34, got home to find his bin bags spilling out in an alleyway, and was then fined £60 by council snoopers for dumping rubbish.

When he protested his innocence and refused to pay, council chiefs took him to court for breaching environmental laws.

But magistrates found him not guilty following a trial costing up to £3,000.

Last night Mr Rostron attacked the council for squandering taxpayers’ cash.

“This is penalising people who go out to work and who cannot put their bins out minutes before the binmen come, or bring them back in the moment they are emptied,” he said.

I was not willing to have a criminal record because of something I did not do.

Gary Rostron

“I was not willing to have a criminal record because of something I did not do, which is why I fought it.

“The whole thing must have wasted thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money, which would be better spent cleaning up the streets.”

Matthew Elliott of the Tax-Payers’ Alliance said: “This court case should never have been brought in the first place and taxpayers have been landed with a totally unnecessary bill.

“People don’t pay their council tax for the council to squander it on over-zealous prosecutions.”

Kate Hollern, Labour leader of Blackburn with Darwen borough council, said she had received a number of complaints about bins not being collected and then getting knocked over.

She said: “What are residents supposed to do?”

But Coun Alan Cottam, council executive member for regeneration and environment, last night attempted to justify taking Mr Rostron to court.

He said: “No one would be convicted of anything if we dropped cases when people said they were innocent.

“Evidence has to be tested in court and it is then up to the magistrates to decide.”

FINED BECAUSE MY BIN FELL OVER

12.11.08, 5:44pm

i am gary rostron and the article is about me. that is a picture of somebody elses rubbish not my own and in blackburn we have one bin for recycling not separate containers like other towns have. in response to TUT TUT please get your facts right before condeming me. ps thanks for all the support i have recieved from many kind people.

• Posted by: binman • Report Comment

ANECDOTE

12.11.08, 7:53am

Some years back while living in Florida, USA I lived not far from a man living in a neighboring community who was continually fined by the town for parking his business van in his driveway. The van had the name of his business painted on the side ans since he had no garage, he had to park it in his driveway in front of the house. He was fined because the town had passed a beautification ordinance that required that there could be no advertising in any form on personal vehicles if they were going to be parked outside even though it was on the owners property. The vehicle had to be garaged. Since the owner of the van had no garage and finally getting fed up with the harassment from the town, he tour out the wall of his dining room with a chain saw, built a ramp and pulled his van into the dining room. It was a really unsightly mess, but there wasn't anything the town could do about it......at least the gentleman with the wheelie bin had successful recourse. Good Show!

• Posted by: cloudglider • Report Comment

RUBBISH

11.11.08, 6:00pm

Give the idiotic judge 10 years

• Posted by: ravingdave • Report Comment

COMMON SENSE

11.11.08, 4:32pm

Councils have become so inflated with self importance that courses in humility and common sense should be mandatory before elected officials can take up their posts.

• Posted by: splodge • Report Comment

TUT TUT

11.11.08, 2:31pm

Not much recycling going on there, by the looks of his rubbish, fine him!!

• Posted by: billandben • Report Comment

COUNCILLORS SHOULD PAY FOR COST OF TRIAL

11.11.08, 2:19pm

What immediately springs to my mind about such councillors is that they appear to have the mindset of little Hitlers and gauleiters.
Because they brought this ridiculous case, they should have to pay the £3,000 cost themselves, personally.
Councillors make very generous incomes, have gold-plated pensions, and appear to spend most of their time dreaming up ways to oppress and victimise ordinary people. It is about time they were brought down to earth. Let us hope the next government will see to this.

• Posted by: MaryPoppins • Report Comment