A WESTCLIFF couple have had their £150 fine overturned after being accused of flytipping on the A12 despite “never visiting Colchester”.

Kerry-Anne Ross, 35, and her partner Gavin Farrell, were left shocked after receiving a letter from Colchester Council containing photographs of her rubbish dumped on the A12 near Marks Tey.

The couple, who live in Westcliff with their four children, said they hadn’t been to Colchester and had disposed of their household waste in the same way as normal with Southend Council.

Echo: Dumped - Rubbish spread out on the side of the A12Dumped - Rubbish spread out on the side of the A12 (Image: Newsquest)

After fighting against this with the help of Southend councillor Lydia Hyde, Kerry has revealed she has been told the fine has been overturned.

She said: “I am incredibly relieved. It has really stressed me out as it is frustrating when you know you haven’t done something you are being accused of.

“It feels like a weight off my shoulders and one less thing to worry about.

“I was also stressing for my neighbours as some are elderly, and they said there were five families within my area. The whole thing is just silly. We had to fight it as we didn’t do it. My rubbish goes out with Southend Council.

“It all seems a bit crazy. But I am really thankful to Lydia for helping us with this.”

The rubbish was found spread out on the side of the road on Friday, January 12, and according to the letter from Colchester Council, took three workers 30 minutes to clear up.

The council also gave fines out to five other properties in the Westcliff area. It has since confirmed all the fines in connection with this incident have been cancelled.

A spokesman for Colchester Council said: “We can confirm the Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued in connection with the flytipping incident on the A12 near Marks Tey, including the one received by Ms. Kerry-Anne Ross, have been cancelled.

“This decision follows extensive consultations with Southend Council regarding the specific circumstances surrounding the flytipping. While we take all flytipping incidents seriously and prosecute them whenever possible, in this instance, enough doubt exists to warrant cancelling the penalty notices for all parties involved.