Overfilling your rubbish bin could cost you a larger fine than shoplifting

The Sunday Times reveals that the Government is recommending a fine of £75 to £110 for families who overfill their rubbish bins.  The newspaper notes that this scale of penalty would be "higher than the £80 on-the-spot fines levied by police for offences ranging from being drunk and disorderly to shoplifting".

Eric Pickles told The Sunday Times: “It is clear Whitehall bureaucrats are instructing town halls to target householders with fines for minor breaches. Yet with the slow death of weekly collections and shrinking bins, it is increasingly hard for families to dispose of their rubbish responsibly. It is fundamentally unfair that householders are now getting hammered with larger fines than shoplifters get for stealing.”