Criminal offence for brushing leaves into the street?

bigpappa

So my mother brushed some leaves and dirt through her gate into the pavement  - yes I know she should not have done that. She was child minding my kids who were playing and helping her out - they should have known better also though they are 5.

A council worker who was sitting in a car took pictures and said she would report her to the Police and Council. The neighbour who told my mother what the council worker had planned to do. My mother then cleaned up the leaves.

Now is this a criminal offence? How will the council respond?

This only happened today.  My mother is worried sick.

TELLIT01

If taken to the extreme, yes it is littering.

Hasbeen

bigpappa said:

So my mother brushed some leaves and dirt through her gate into the pavement  - yes I know she should not have done that. She was child minding my kids who were playing and helping her out - they should have known better also though they are 5.

A council worker who was sitting in a car took pictures and said she would report her to the Police and Council. The neighbour who told my mother what the council worker had planned to do. My mother then cleaned up the leaves.

Now is this a criminal offence? How will the council respond?

This only happened today.  My mother is worried sick.

Believe it comes under fly tipping regulations.
If the council do decide to take action it will probably be a warning letter addressed to the householder.

bigpappa

The Council worker was adamant that it was a Police matter. I have spoken to the neighbour and asked about how much leaves / dirt there was and my mother said about 3/4 of a waste paper bins worth.

My parents have never dealt with the Police or Council over any matter and are worried they will get a criminal offence. Wouldn't a word with my mother have sufficed?

Paula_Smith

Would it make a difference if the leaves came off the councils trees lining the street? Or if the dirt had blown in from the councils poorly cleaned street?

TELLIT01

Paula_Smith said:

Would it make a difference if the leaves came off the councils trees lining the street? Or if the dirt had blown in from the councils poorly cleaned street?

Nope.  Once rubbish is on your property it is your responsibility to dispose of it in a proper and legal manner.  That's why it cost landowners thousands of pounds to get rid of large quantities of rubbish which have been fly tipped on their land.

bigpappa

Paula_Smith said:

Would it make a difference if the leaves came off the councils trees lining the street? Or if the dirt had blown in from the councils poorly cleaned street?

The leaves blow in from the trees that line the street and they live across the road from a beautiful church. How long does it take for the council to respond?

I would have much preferred the council worker to have spoken to my mother and told her off.

Grenage

Yes it's wrong, but the council worker was probably having a bad morning.  Assuming it was even a council worker and not some lunatic.

I really wouldn't worry about it; at worst it's probably a letter.

[Deleted User]

If she does get a letter though, tell her to put it in her own bin and not just chuck it into the street.

bigpappa

Grenage said:

Yes it's wrong, but the council worker was probably having a bad morning.  Assuming it was even a council worker and not some lunatic.

I really wouldn't worry about it; at worst it's probably a letter.

Yes it was a council worker as the council worker had come to a neighbours to resolve some issue with their bins.

rach_k

If she brushed it onto the street and then a little while later she picked it all up, I think the council would have a hard time proving she did anything wrong.  As far as anybody else is concerned, it could have been her intention to pick them up all along.  Perhaps she was simply brushing them through the gate to prevent the children stomping in them and undoing her hard work, before she had chance to scoop them up.  That would be my story anyway!  

The Police have actual criminals to worry about.  They will not be interested.