496-day-old Papa Johns pizza receipt lands couple with £1.2k fly-tipping fine

They say the Christmas Eve Papa Johns receipt, from 2022, is in someone else's name who does not live at their Smallthorne address and was only visiting their home that night. The receipt has now resurfaced - 496 days later - in the fly-tipped waste, on Downey Street, in Hanley.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council will halve the penalty if the couple accept liability for the dumped waste.

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But Kelley, aged 53, said: "The council has sent us photographs of this waste in a place in Hanley which we don't recognise. There's a box of Adidas trainers - and we haven't bought any. There's a box of blue Pringles. We never buy salt and vinegar ones - we only buy the green ones! I was in a flap all day. I lost a day's work.

"If we did go to court and were convicted we could be hit with a £5,000 fine. But we cannot bring ourselves to pay the £1,200 when we know we've done nothing wrong. I've nearly been in tears. I've not been able to sleep at night. I think more than anything it's frustration knowing you've done nothing wrong."

Kelley works as a seamstress and regularly goes to the tip with empty fabric rolls.

She added: "We often go to the tip which is down the road. Why would we drive twice the length of time and leave it in Hanley? I want the fine to be quashed and an apology wouldn't go amiss. It has got to be a mistake."

Stoke-on-Trent City Council says it has a 'zero-tolerance approach to illegal dumping'.

A council spokesman added: "We are continuing with pro-active patrolling and investigations. Once an area is under investigation, and while evidence is being processed, we arrange for the removal of the waste with our cleansing teams. This case is currently under investigation and our environmental crime team is in contact with the residents. We are committed to working together to clean up our city and will enforce, where evidence supports, against waste offences."

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