Dad-of-seven slapped with £10,000 fine for using his front garden as a scrap yard but says council should THANK HIM
A POSTMAN who has mounds of junk and scrap piled high in his garden has said the council should be “thanking him” after he was slapped with a £10k fine.
David Wright, 54, denies that he was operating a scrap metal business from his former council house in Kempston, Bedford, and insisted collecting junk was just his “hobby”.
He has slammed the council for fining him, and believes they should be thanking him for doing a “public service” for those who want to ditch their broken household appliances.
The dad-of-seven believes he saves the fridges, washing machines and other junk from enduing up being dumped in the countryside.
He told The Sun: “None of the neighbours have complained.
“We have not had a problem with anybody – except the council who tried to claim I was carrying on a business here.
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“Collecting this stuff isn’t my business, it’s just my hobby.”
David was taken to court by Bedford Council for breaching a planning enforcement notice to stop him from storing scrap metal outside his home.
As well as the fine, magistrates ordered him to pay £676.50 costs and a victim surcharge of £190.
Defending his dad, David Jr, 25, said: “My dad will pay the fine, of course. We abide by the law.
“But they are trying to make out he does this as a business. That’s not true.
"He works as a postman – although he is off sick at the moment – and this is just a hobby for him.
“He is helping people by getting rid of their rubbish and the council should be thanking him. Without him, a lot of this stuff would end up being fly-tipped in the countryside.
“All the stuff is stored on our land. It’s not causing an obstruction on the pavement or on the road.
“OK, people might not like the look of it. But we aren’t causing a nuisance or problems for anybody.”
He is helping people by getting rid of their rubbish and the council should be thanking him.
David Jr
David Jr also claimed that things had piled up outside their home because the council owned tips had been closed during Covid.
Ralph Wright also stood up for his dad, adding: “He has been picked on by the law. We own the house and help local people out – but we’re left with a £10,000 fine.”
Other residents also leapt to the family’s defence, with one calling him a “lovely bloke”.
Jonnie Schaffer said: “I’d live next door to him. Great guy, he’s even taken scrap from my garage block which has been dumped when the council wouldn’t take it.
“Should give him a pat on the back. Everyone should support him.”
Kallum Hancock added: “I don’t see a problem. It’s on private property.”
Cllr Henry Vann, Portfolio Holder for Planning said: "This large fine of £10,000 plus costs follows the painstaking and meticulous work of officers in investigating this blatant ongoing breach of a planning enforcement notice, which saw large quantities of unsightly scrap material blight a quiet residential street.
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"These breaches can cause harm to a local area and the lives of residents, and our officers will work to enforce against them where there are grounds to do so.
“Building up a planning case necessarily takes time and I would like to thank the team for their hard work in tackling this unacceptable behaviour."
