Yorkshire's first case of "wheelie bin rage" ended with a frustrated householder facing a court appearance for dumping his rubbish on the floor of his local town hall.
For two weeks council refuse workers failed to empty the wheelie bin of family man Ian Margetts at his home in Cleckheaton.
Calls to Kirklees Council added to his frustration when he was placed in an automated queue and was unable to get past the
council answering machine to speak to someone.
So he dragged his bin the 10-minute walk down the road to Cleckheaton Town Hall, right, went inside and tipped its contents onto the floor.
His spontaneous protest was carried out not only in front of witnesses – two elderly ladies – but also the council's CCTV system. On top of that the waste he had dumped contained envelopes bearing his name and address.
As a result he ended up appearing before Dewsbury magistrates charged with dumping waste without a licence. Although he was given a conditional discharge for 12 months he was also ordered to pay costs of £475.
He had planned to argue that the council was in breach of its statutory duties by failing to empty his bin, but finally decided to plead guilty in the face of the evidence.
Mr Margetts, who is a house husband caring for two daughters, has had regular confrontations with authorities on issues which include student loans, planning laws, data protection and policing.
He attempted to make a citizen's arrest of youths who damaged his car and was beaten up as a result. That resulted in a battles with local police.
The full article contains 278 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
