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A SINGLE mother has been fined £1,000 after leaving a cardboard envelope next to an overflowing bin.
The nurse was identified by her local council from the address on the envelope and was informed that unless she pays the £1,000 fine for fly-tipping, they will pursue legal action.
Loretta Alvarez has been fined £1,000 for leaving a brown envelope on top of a pile of rubbishCredit: BPM
The council suspects that she is responsible for all the waste, but she denies thisCredit: BPM
Loretta Alvarez placed the envelope on top of some boxes near the communal bins used by her and 34 other flats in her block in Feltham, West London.
She believed she was "doing the right thing" by leaving the envelope next to the bins, as she assumed the council would collect the overflowing rubbish.
The 26-year-old is the sole caregiver for her two-year-old daughter and stated that she cannot afford to pay the fine and would fight her case if necessary.
The mental health nurse told The Telegraph : “I’m trying to balance work and being a single mom, and this is incredibly stressful. I have to maintain professionalism at work, but this is always on my mind."
“People who are caught speeding pay less.”
Loretta mentioned that she would never intentionally dump rubbish in the open, but the shared bins were overflowing.
“I thought that if I stuffed this into the bin, it would exacerbate the problem,” she explained. “I believed I was acting correctly.”
The brown envelope contained a birthday gift from her aunt, which arrived on September 20.
On October 1, Loretta received a £1,000 fixed-penalty notice from Hounslow Council and was informed that she had a deadline of November 5 to pay the fine.
She attempted to negotiate to pay the fine in installments, but the council denied her request and insisted on full payment.
The council has since extended the deadline and will not pursue Loretta for payments at this time.
It is understood that the council believes Loretta is responsible for all the waste left near the bins.
Loretta denied the accusations that she dumped all the rubbish.
“It’s been incredibly stressful. I didn’t want this situation to occur, and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone else,” she said.
The council tracked down the nurse using the address on the envelopeCredit: BPM
Loretta claims the bins are often overflowing due to being insufficient for the number of flatsCredit: BPM
She added: “I don’t have that amount to pay; I can’t afford to go into debt for it, and I don’t want to have a mark on my record.”
The real issue, she stated, is the lack of bins for the number of households.
According to Loretta, the six general waste bins are typically full to capacity by collection day on Monday.
‘THIS SHOULD BE A COUNCIL ISSUE – NOT MINE’
“I don’t believe there are enough bins for the number of residents here,” she continued.
“This should be a council issue – not mine.”
Cabinet member for community safety, customer service, and enforcement, Cllr Pritam Grewal, stated: “We remain committed to adopting a zero-tolerance approach to littering and protecting the local environment.
“We are confident that we have acted correctly in handling this situation and issuing the fine, as littering includes leaving waste anywhere in public other than in a bin, regardless of whether bins are full.
“While we understand that no one enjoys receiving a fine, residents expect us to address the offenses and the offenders.
“In addition to making our streets appear neglected, it incurs extra costs for council taxpayers
