Doh.....!

It may only be April, but I reckon we already have a stone-certain candidate for Jobsworth of the Year Award. It goes to the prat at Copeland Borough Council in Cumbria who took the decision to fine one of its residents for putting out their wheelie bin with its lid not fully down. Raised by four inches according to the resident -"More like six" say the Council (!). This is an area where the bins are only collected once a fortnight, and the household in question consists of a father, mother and three children - it amazes me they ever manage to get the lid down! I know there is pressure on councils to reduce the amount of stuff going into landfill, but this seems to be being used as an excuse for some pretty mindless policies - and this isn't just Cumbria. The resident in question makes the point that if he had simply chucked his excess rubbish over a hedge somewhere, he would only be facing an £80 fine for fly-tipping, whereas the fine for overfilling his wheelie-bin by four inches ("More like six" cry the Council) was £110. Sheer stupidity.