Gipton and Harehills residents fined over £5000 for not returning bins by Leeds Council

According to data analysed by the Yorkshire Evening Post, offenders in Gipton and Harehills were caught out at least 69 times in 2019 for the offence of 'bins not returned'.

The cumulative fine for these offences is £5250 while across the rest of the city, there are currently no other recorded fixed penalty notices for bin related offences in 2019.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “In terms of ‘bins not returned’ activity, we have been doing a lot of proactive enforcement in our 'Public Spaces Protection Order' areas which are Harehills and Armley which explains the big jump in these areas.”

During 2017 and 2018, the Council issued only eight fixed penalty notices related to bin management across the rest of the city.

According to the Council: “Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) are served when offenders fail to comply with a notice that has been served, e.g. waste in gardens, fly-tipping, littering, dog fouling etc.”

From 2017 to 2019, Gipton and Harehills topped a number of lists with the most FPNs issued for 'waste in garden' and 'fly-tipping' – with a total of 77 notices served for each offence.

The area's businesses have also been issued fines to the tune of £13,900 for problems with commercial waste, figures revealed.

Gipton and Harehills was fined 328 times across the three year period for a cumulative total of £49,950, of which £16,125 has been paid so far.

The data provided on the Council's Data Mill North site records where the FPNs were issued across the city, on what date and any relevant legislation that enabled the notice to be served.

Among the other offences on the list, the council has issued at least £675,650 worth of fines for 'litter problems' in the last three years with the hotspot for this offence being the central ward of Little London and Woodhouse.