A woman who dumped household waste on the street after refusing to pay rubbish collection costs has been fined more than £300.

Samantha Allen of Glastonbury Road, Sutton, pleaded guilty to dumping a sofa and other household items on the pavement outside her home, after refusing to pay for them to be properly removed.

Ms Allen contacted Sutton Council’s waste management team to arrange removal of a sofa, mattress, cabinet and wood, but failed to pay £26.40 in collection costs.

Instead she moved the waste from her front garden on to the pavement.

A member of the street cleansing crew alerted environmental health officers, who issued Ms Allen with a fixed penalty notice after she continues to refuse to pay.

Appearing before Sutton Magistrates’ Court, Ms Allen pleaded guilty to unlawfully depositing rubbish. She was fined £200 and ordered to pay £150 in costs to the Council, in addition to a £15 victim’s surcharge.

Cllr Colin Hall, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Change on Sutton Council, said: “The majority of waste and recycling services in Sutton are free, but the Council does make a small charge for collecting large or bulky items.

“We do everything we can to make disposing of waste convenient and hassle-free, so there’s no excuse for not getting rid of rubbish properly.

"Fly-tipping and littering are serious offences and we work hard to bring people who pollute Sutton’s streets to justice.”

To report fly tipping contact the council on 020 8770 5070. To find out about how and where to dispose of your waste, visit www.sutton.gov.uk/wasteandrecycling.