Leaving a kettle in a back lane was an expensive mistake for this Gateshead woman as magistrates ordered her to pay out hundreds of pounds.
Ewelina Jablcyzyk pleaded guilty to a charge of depositing controlled waste without a permit.
Magistrates heard that an online post inspired the 34-year-old to leave her old kettle, which still worked, in a box behind her Rectory Place home in a bid to help the less fortunate.
But council solicitor Jill Brown told Gateshead Magistrates' Court that despite any good intentions Jablcyzyk had contributed to litter problems in the borough.
She said: “On April 18 we received a complaint that waste had been dumped in a rear lane on Rectory Place.
“At an interview the defendant said she had put out a card board box containing an old kettle in working order for people to take if they wished.
“While the defendant explains that what she did was meant as a good deed depositing waste irresponsibly in rear lanes is unpleasant for residents that have to endure this anti-social behaviour and can lead to further problems like rodent infestations.”
Magistrates fined Jablcyzyk £333, ordered her to pay £50 towards disposal costs, along with council costs of £256 and a victim surcharge of £33.
