Newlyweds fined £150 by council for putting the bins out just four hours early so they could go on their honeymoon

Newlyweds have been fined £150 for leaving their bins out four hours too early so they could go on a honeymoon.

Leon Wright, 40, returned from holiday with wife Amy, 34, to find an enforcement notice had been posted through the letterbox.

The pair live in a flat above a row of shops in East Twickenham, southwest London, and had left their rubbish out on the pavement below in colour coded bags.

Their property falls under the jurisdiction of Richmond Council, whose guidance is residents should not put their bags out before 8pm the night before collection.

And while marketing manager Mr Wright admits he put his rubbish out at 3:25pm – some four-and-a-half hours before the advised time – he has insisted the fine is unjust as he had no other option.

He said: ‘I only put it out a few hours before. It was the last thing I did before we left for holiday and the latest time that I could leave it out.

‘I came back from my honeymoon with a fixed penalty notice from Richmond council. It said that we had to pay it within ten days, but we couldn’t because we weren’t even there.

‘It was very surprising. We had never had any problems with the council before.

Newlyweds have been fined £150 for leaving their bins out four hours too early so they could go on a honeymoon

Leon Wright, 40, returned from holiday with wife Amy, 34, to find an enforcement notice had been posted through the letterbox

The pair live in a flat above a row of shops in East Twickenham, southwest London , and had left their rubbish out on the pavement below in colour coded bags

‘I do my best to follow the rules but it was literally just a few hours before the collection window so I never thought they would send fines straight away.’

Mr Wright put his bins out on May 27 before leaving to get a 7:10pm flight from Heathrow airport for the honeymoon cruise from Athens.

Ten days later, he and Amy returned from the trip to find the fine on their doorstep.

Mr Wright claims the penalty is against government guidelines but, despite pointing this out, the authority has ‘refused’ to cancel it.

He added: ‘It says in black and white on the GOV.uk website that you can’t issue penalties for leaving bins out a few hours early, which is exactly what they have done.

‘They weren’t in the middle of the walkway or obstructing anyone. This is just a blatant cash grab to me.

‘I am not paying it. This kind of thing just can’t happen. It is absolutely wrong. I will take them to court if it comes to that.

‘It is not the money but the principle. There is no way I am going to let them get away with it.’

Mr Wright put his bins out on May 27 before leaving to get a 7:10pm flight from Heathrow airport for the honeymoon cruise from Athens

Mr Wright said: ‘It is definitely not what you want to see when you come back from holiday. Especially when you are trying to do your best’

The fixed penalty notice states the homeowner ‘committed an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 87’.

The council has since agreed to extend the timeframe in which the fine can be paid to August 19, at the discounted rate of £100.

But Mr Wright, who moved to his home in 2018, has insisted he won’t pay a penny.

He said: ‘It is definitely not what you want to see when you come back from holiday. Especially when you are trying to do your best.

‘My neighbours couldn’t believe it. They were all shocked.’

Richmond Council said: ‘Richmond Council is committed to keeping the borough’s streets clean, safe, and accessible for everyone.

‘To help achieve this, we encourage residents to follow the guidance on when to put waste out for collection.

‘Waste should only be placed out between 8pm the night before and 6am on the day of collection. When these rules are not followed, enforcement action may be taken where appropriate.