A man says he’s been falsely fined for fly-tipping linked to him through a decades-old birthday card — despite his friend owning up and contacting the council to take responsibility.

Justin Yearsley, from Dartford, was hit with the £500 fine after his name and parents' address were identified in rubbish discarded by his friend Paul Attree next to overflowing communal bins where he lives.

The evidence related to an old birthday card that Justin had been sent back in 2014, which contained his name and his parents’ address.

Despite his friend Paul sending an email to the fly-tipping department at Dartford council to explain the situation and admit it was his fault, he has not heard back.

Likewise, Justin has provided evidence the fly-tipping letter was sent to his parents’ address, where he doesn't live, and has provided proof that his parents were away during the weeks the first letters were sent before it escalated to court action.

Despite this, he's also heard nothing back from the council and says he is extremely stressed about what to do, as he doesn't have £500 to pay for fly-tipping that wasn't his.

The 52-year-old said: “When I think about the stress of it, it makes me angry and stressed. It makes my heart race, and I cannot have that.

“The thing that has got to me so much is, it’s not my fault! I’m trying to sort it out and nobody is listening to me; it’s been really getting to me.

“It’s just been a nightmare.”

Justin, of Meadowside, Dartford, said his parents had returned from holiday to find some post for their son and, after opening it, discovered he was being accused of fly-tipping.

The 52-year-old had temporarily lived with his friend Paul Attree in London Road, Greenhithe, when his marriage of 13 years broke down.

After moving out, he had left a bag of keepsakes in the back of Paul’s shed which he hadn’t been ready to look at because he was in “bits”.

The former DJ explained: “It was a birthday card sent from my wife dated 2014, and it had my mum and dad’s address on it because it was just before we got married, and that was one of the keepsake things.

“Paul was having a clear-out and threw a load of stuff and that envelope had gone into his rubbish.”

But friend Paul insists he was not fly-tipping and says the communal bins where he lives are regularly overflowing and not regularly cleared, making it difficult for residents to dispose of their rubbish.

Alongside Justin’s fine, Paul received a £100 fine from Amazon for alleged fly-tipping, as an Amazon box with his name and address on was found by the bin.

He said: “I have paid £100 and admitted it because otherwise it goes on and on. It’s crazy and not worth the hassle.”

Paul says he's happy to take responsibility for the fly-tipping but feels Dartford’s £500 fine is too much, having already paid Amazon £100, and he has asked the council to reduce its penalty.

Justin added: “Paul knows it’s his fault he put my stuff in the rubbish but it’s not his fault that the rubbish is so full that it can’t get in the bin.”

Now the friends are urging the council to address the waste overflow issue at Coulter House in London Road, to prevent other residents from getting fined.

In addition, Justin wants the council to recognise that two weeks might not be long enough to respond to a letter, especially if people go on holiday.

Secondly, he questions why the council is not responding to any of his, Paul or his care worker’s emails.

He said: “Why don’t they listen? It’s caused me so much stress to the point it’s put me in hospital with my heart. I thought I was going to have to have another stent.

“I can’t afford to pay this £500, my bank is £25 overdrawn.”

In a letter to the council on September 26, Paul said: “I can’t let my friend take the blame for something he did not do. I will take responsibility.”

Dartford council had been contacted on several occasions for comment ahead of publication.

Today, a Dartford council spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, the email that Mr Attree sent on 07/09/2025 was to an unmonitored inbox normally used to receive replies to questionnaires. This was not the correct method to contact the team or dispute an FPN.

“The Enforcement team Kingdom were first made aware of this particular case on 15/10/2025, and they then immediately investigated. The FPN to Mr Yearsley has been cancelled, and a FPN for £100 has been reissued to Mr Attree.”