A father-of-two has been hit with a £600 penalty by a London council for allegedly fly-tipping an envelope that someone else dropped.Robb McGeary, 43, was told he was under investigation for fly-tipping after the letter was found in rubbish strewn across the street outside his flat.The father believed he had acted responsibly by placing his waste in the communal bins at his building.But Ealing Council workers found the envelope while cleaning up debris after said bins had been searched through and their contents scattered across the road.They classed it as evidence of fly-tipping, contrary to section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, he said.Council officials then handed Mr McGeary a £400 fine, which he appealed using the photos as evidence.But the local authority refused his claim, then increased his fine to £600 – and is now vowing to take him to court.Mr McGeary insists he disposed of his rubbish properly by placing it in the correct bins rather than leaving it on the pavement.Ealing Council workers found the envelope while cleaning up debris outside Robb McGeary’s home | GOOGLEHe told the Daily Mail: “I did exactly what you’re supposed to do, put my rubbish in the correct bins. “Not on the floor or in the street. What happened after that is completely out of my hands.”The 43-year-old lives in the property with his partner, her six-year-old autistic daughter and their five-month-old twin girls.But he claims homeless people and drug users frequently climb into the unlocked communal bins at night, tearing open bags and searching for loot.He says he has witnessed people “out of their minds taking drugs, climbing into bins and actively tearing bin bags open” in the early hours.The area around Mr McGeary’s flat is a notorious dumping ground – and he said it appears on the council’s own list of problem locations.
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The area around Mr McGeary’s flat is a notorious dumping ground – and has even been daubed with graffiti as a result | GOOGLEOld mattresses, furniture, drug paraphernalia and heaps of bin bags had accumulated for weeks before the bins were “emptied across the street,” he claims.Mr McGeary alleges rubbish went uncollected for more than a month at the start of the year, a situation he documented with photographs.The waste remained scattered for over a week before council workers arrived to clear it.Mr McGeary has refused to pay the penalty and is prepared to challenge the council in court.He told the Daily Mail: “It genuinely feels like I’m ‘guilty until proven innocent’. “Just because something with my name on it ended up in a bag, I’m being treated as if I personally dumped it on the street.”The father accused the council of showing a “complete lack of common sense” in pursuing the case.Ealing Council was accused of showing a ‘complete lack of common sense’ in pursuing the case | GETTYIn response, a spokesman for the authority said: “We issue fix penalty notices either because we witnessed the offence or our investigations lead us to conclude an individual has committed an offence.”Before a fixed penalty notice is issued, we write to the alleged fly-tipper asking if they can explain why their waste might have been found fly-tipped.”Fly-tipping is a significant issue for residents and we are cracking down on this criminal activity. “Fly-tipping is a drain on council funds which is better spent on essential services for residents. It has a direct impact on the environment and our residents’ quality of life.”We launched an awareness campaign: ‘This is our home, not a tip,’ which explains to our communities what fly-tipping is, its impact and how everyone can help by disposing of waste correctly.”