Council jobsworths fine mother £500 for leaving daughter's toy neatly outside with 'free to collect' sign on top

A Windsor mother has been handed a £500 penalty for fly-tipping after placing her daughter's toy kitchen by her front gate for others to take.

Anna Karamiseva was slapped with a fixed penalty notice after council enforcement officers arrived at her door in the Berkshire town.

The toy had been positioned neatly on the pavement with a sign reading "free to collect".

Ms Karamiseva said she was surprised to learn that this was considered a criminal offence - and is hoping the fine is written off.

"I wrote an email of apology to the council and explained it wasn't litter," she told The Sun.

But the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead provided its own explanation for the penalty.

"Enforcement officers acted after an item was left on a public footpath for several days," the council said.

The fine reduces to £150 if settled within a fortnight.

Reports indicate that numerous other residents in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead have faced similar fines.

And councillors have been forced to speak out as a result.

One, Alison Carpenter, said: "I understand many people are trying to dispose of items responsibly.

"However, residents should be aware that leaving items on the pavement, even temporarily for collection, can be treated as an obstruction and may result in enforcement action."

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Ms Karamiseva's neighbour Jo Jeer voiced her fury at the council's decision.

"This makes my blood boil," she said.

"A warm-hearted resident's daughter has outgrown her toy kitchen, so it's left outside the property for another family to pick up and give hours of fun to a younger child.

"But the council jumps at the chance to make money and criminalise the thoughtful mum who was just trying to recycle the toy and think of others."

"It's so obvious that this toy kitchen is not waste, or dumped rubbish - it was not blocking the pavement in any way.

"It just highlights the madness of red-tape loving zealots poisoning this country by targeting hard-working middle-class families," Ms Jeer added. "When will the madness stop?"

Ms Karamiseva's case follows a number of similar run-ins with councils over "littering".

Last year, a London council hit Francesca Poncetta with a £600 fine after a "piece of cardboard blew out of the bin" and caused her to litter.

While just weeks ago, a 73-year-old woman and her elderly neighbour were threatened with court action and fines of up to £1,000 after leaving charity collection bags outside their homes in Kent.

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