Woman fined £250 for dumping black sacks of clothes in Medway alleyway

A woman from Chatham in Kent has been ordered to pay £250 after dumping black bags in an alleyway.

In November 2021 Medway Council’s street scene team was visiting Gordon Road in Chatham and saw a number of black bags filled with clothes and household rubbish dumped in an alleyway.

After looking through the bags, post was found with a name and address for the woman. A council officer knocked on 36-year-old Amelia Long's door, and she admitted dumping the rubbish.

She was issued with an £150 Fixed Penalty Notice, which reduced to £90 if paid within 10 days. Long failed to pay and the case was taken to court.

After failing to turn up to court, magistrates found Long guilty of littering, fined her £116 and ordered her to pay costs of £100 and a victim surcharge of £34, totalling £250.

Cllr Jane Chitty, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder covering Enforcement, said: “Littering is completely unacceptable and is not tolerated in Medway.

"We all have a responsibility to help keep Medway clean and tidy and dispose of our rubbish responsibly either by taking it to one of Medway’s three Household Waste and Recycling Centres or putting it out for our waste collection crews on the appropriate day.

"Environmental issues are a priority for residents, and they expect us to uphold the law. Anyone found to be intentionally dumping rubbish in Medway may be fined or, as in this case, prosecuted.”