A FLYTIPPER who was prosecuted after leaving bags of rubbish outside her gate told a court she had missed her bin collection.

Emma Burns, 36, left four bags of waste containing old wallpaper, a yellow school book and general rubbish to the rear of Harrington Road in Workington on July 25 last year.

She admitted a flytipping offence when she appeared before Workington Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

Outlining the case for Cumberland Council, Geraldine McDonald said an enforcement officer had been on patrol on July 25 last year when he came across the waste bags.

They were deemed to pose a risk to the environment because they had the potential to attract pests.

Ms McDonald said householders have bins to deposit waste and there is a household recycling centre less than a mile from Ms Burns’ address.

A fixed penalty notice was issued and was followed up with reminders but no payment had been received, the court heard.

Ms McDonald said the council had noticed an increase in flytipping offences in the Allerdale area.

Ms Burns told magistrates: “It was put out for somebody to collect between 9 and half 9.

“The council had come round before that and I refuse to leave my gate open because my house got broken into. I put it right outside my gate.

“It was getting collected for someone to take to the tip and someone from the council has been round.

“Me and my partner have split up. He has been coming round and collecting the mail. It had his name on, as well, so I haven’t seen it.”

Magistrates fined Burns, of Harrington Road, £480 and ordered her to pay £150 costs and a £192 victim surcharge.