An eighty-three-year-old woman is facing a crushing financial penalty and mounting distress over a single cardboard box. Carole Wright has been fined £600 for what authorities are calling ‘fly-tipping,’ a charge her family insists is utterly absurd.
The incident centers around a cardboard box, believed to have been accidentally blown from a recycling bin. Carole’s daughter, Catherine, describes the situation as a nightmare unfolding, one that is rapidly deteriorating her mother’s health and well-being.
Initially, the family dismissed the first notice as a scam. But a second letter arrived, confirming the chilling reality: Reading Council was pursuing the matter with unwavering determination. Catherine’s desperate pleas for understanding have been met with bureaucratic demands for medical evidence.
“My mum keeps saying she doesn’t want to go on anymore,” Catherine shared, her voice thick with worry. “She’s just staring at the walls, crying. She’s not eating.” The fine, though seemingly small to some, represents a significant burden for Carole, and the threat of court has plunged her into a state of fear and despair.
Catherine paints a picture of a loving, gentle mother, the best anyone could ask for. Now, approaching her eighty-fourth birthday, Carole is increasingly forgetful, and the stress of the situation is exacerbating her condition. She genuinely believes she’s done something wrong, despite her daughter’s assurances.
The council maintains it has a duty to investigate all instances of fly-tipping, responding to residents’ concerns about litter. They state that after requesting information from Carole, and receiving no response within a 30-day period, enforcement action was taken in the form of a fixed penalty notice.
However, Catherine insists the council has been unhelpful, directing her to a third-party enforcement company, Kingdom. Kingdom, in turn, demanded medical proof to “excuse” Carole’s actions, while continuing to send threatening letters about potential court proceedings.
“She can’t afford the money,” Catherine explained, her voice cracking with emotion. “She keeps saying ‘they’re going to put me in prison.’ I keep saying, ‘they’re not going to put you in prison, mum,’ but she says, ‘it’s still there, I’m going to have to go to court.’”
The family feels trapped, unwilling to accept a guilty verdict for something they believe never happened, yet facing the daunting prospect of a legal battle. They desperately seek a resolution, a glimmer of compassion in a situation that has spiraled out of control.
Both Reading Council and Kingdom state they remain “fully open to dialogue” and welcome any assistance from Carole that might help close the case. But for now, a simple cardboard box continues to cast a long, dark shadow over a woman’s final years.
