AN ACCRINGTON mum has been fined for fly-tipping after donating rubbish for a community bonfire.

Sarah Rodia was happy to oblige when children came to her house collecting rubbish for an unofficial bonfire on land at the junction of Park Street and Cedar Street.

She had an old mattress but offered to drop it off at the site because it would be too big for them to carry.

However, Miss Rodia's car registration number was given to Hyndburn Borough Council's environmental health department who traced her and issued a her £50 fine.

The 30-year-old, who has recently graduated from university, said: "There has been a bonfire there for as long as I have lived here and I was just trying to do something for the community by donating the mattress.

"The council said there was a problem with people fly-tipping on that site and now I am being penalised for their activities."

She said she always contacted the council to remove any waste that was too big for the normal refuse collection service, and did so twice during the summer and had no other motive than to add to the bonfire.

The mum-of-one, of Bertha Street, said she was determined to take the matter further and would be seeking legal advice.

Tony Akrigg, environmental protection manager for the council, said fly-tipping was a problem on that site all year round, but it had become particularly bad in the last week.

He said: "We have had a number of complaints from local residents about that site and we have responded to that.

"It is also regarded as a hazardous place to have a bonfire by the fire service. If it was deemed to be a reasonable site to have one it would be looked at differently.

"It is a major headache for us that people see bonfire night as an excuse to get rid of their waste by dumping on sites across the borough."

Mr Akrigg said four commercial organisations had also been reported and the council would be pursuing a prosecution through the courts.

Council workers cleared the site three weeks ago and again yesterday, ahead of bonfire night, as part of a crackdown on the number of deliberate and dangerous fires in the borough at this time of year.

The council and the fire service joined forces to apply for funding from the Community Safety Partnership for the initiative.

Launching the crackdown last month Councillor Ann Scaife, portfolio holder for environment and cleansing, said: "A working group was set up over a year ago and arrangements are in place to provide a rapid response team for this year's events.

"The team will clear up any bonfires which could cause problems to residents, or potentially damage properties in the immediate area."