A five-year-old schoolgirl in north London was wrongly issued a £1,000 fine for fly-tipping, sparking outrage from her family.
The young girl received official correspondence from Harrow Council’s Environmental Enforcement Team claiming she had been witnessed committing the offence by a uniformed officer.
Her father, who wished to remain anonymous, strongly refuted the allegation, calling it “absurd” to fine a child of her age.
It was later revealed that no officer had actually witnessed any fly-tipping incident, and the fine was instead based on a parcel bearing the child’s name found on a nearby street.
The father explained that the parcel in question had likely ended up on the street because the communal bins in the area were full (Stock)
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A final reminder followed on December 5, threatening the five-year-old with court proceedings, warning her that a conviction could result in a maximum fine of £2,500.
The family found the circumstances particularly distressing, with the threats of legal action coming just days before Christmas.
The father explained that the parcel in question had likely ended up on the street because the communal bins in the area were full, making multiple attempts to appeal the fine but encountered significant obstacles at every turn.
When trying to appeal through the council website, he found he was unable to do so.
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He then attended a council advice session at Harrow Library, only to be told he needed to report it online or call the council directly.
His email attempt bounced back, and a phone call resulted in a 40-minute wait only to be told that “they could do nothing”.
In a final attempt to resolve the situation, the frustrated parent attended a ward surgery held by local councillor Stephen Hickman.
Hickman condemned the council’s actions, telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Charging a child is ridiculous and the process has been very stressful for their father.”
He expressed further hope that the council would review its protocols and reconsider the case.
Following the controversy, APCOA was forced to cancel the fine and issue an apology to the family
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Following the controversy, APCOA was forced to cancel the fine and issue an apology to the family.
A spokesman for APCOA admitted: “The Fixed Penalty Notice resulted from investigation of waste that had been fly-tipped; the age of the individual was not known.”
The company acknowledged the fine should have been cancelled when initially appealed.
APCOA confirmed they had contacted the family to apologise and cancel the penalty notice.
The spokesman added they had “taken steps to avoid a similar situation recurring”, admitting the case had not met their “usual high standards of service”.
