A hard-up student has been slapped with a £400 fly-tipping fine in a row over two cardboard boxes.
Marta Stankiewicz says she put them next to her bulging bin on the Friday before her Monday collection.
But the 45-year-old was reported for fly-tipping and slapped with the huge fine just one day later.
Now the second-year Keele University student faces having to go to court if she refuses to pay the Stoke-on-Trent City Council penalty.
Marta, who is studying environmental science, told StokeOnTrentLive: "I was cleaning out the shed and there were these two cardboard boxes."
Marta, who is from Tunstall, added: "They weren't big. I put them by the wall outside by the rear of the property.
"There wasn't any room for them in the bins so I just put them next to the bins. This was on the Friday and the bins usually get collected on a Monday.
"On the Saturday, someone called saying they had reported the rubbish. On the same day, I got a letter from the council saying I had been fly-tipping and I was being fined £400.
"The boxes were just placed next to the wall by the gate out in the back alleyway. I was about to dispose of them. For two cardboard boxes, it seems extreme."
The £400 fine comes as the council's new Labour administration has promised an even tougher crackdown on fly-tipping.
Marta, who lives alone, added: "It is excessive. I have no income, only the student loan.
"I felt petrified. I was scared to answer the phone. The fine is really out of proportion.
"I understand dumping waste is a problem. If it was a sofa or a cupboard I would understand. But it was just two cardboard boxes.
"I had just put them next to the bin ready to collect. I just want to know why the penalty was so high.
"Why don't they treat every case individually and adjust the fine. I am outraged."
The council says fly-tipping penalties are set by the Government.
Councillor Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for the environment and enforcement, said: "Stoke-on-Trent City Council is taking a zero-tolerance approach to all fly-tipping cases.
"Residents are reminded to only present rubbish for collection on the morning of their collection day.
"Any rubbish left out and not at the collection point will be treated as fly-tipping and the perpetrator will be fined.
"In this case, the cardboard boxes could have been presented with the recycling collection and included in the appropriate bin."
