A council row has erupted after a mother was faced with £5,000 fine for putting the "wrong type of rubbish" in a public bin.

Natasha Sheldon Lane put plastic packaging from a parcel which she had collected into a bin in a nearby park.

However, the mother-of-two then received a summons in the post which accused her of "unlawful depositing of waste" in a bin on Duke Street, Flint.

The council were able to track down the 35-year-old due to her address on the packaging thrown away, and then proceeded to blame her for all of the rubbish found in the bin.

Ms Sheldon Lane said: "I'd have been better off throwing it on the floor. My only crime was being honest and law-abiding - placing the envelope in the bin and then admitting I'd done so.

"What's happened is completely ridiculous. It's causing unnecessary stress to someone who only tried to do the right thing."

Natasha Sheldon Lane has been fined for putting her rubbish in a public bin

She continued: "What's worrying is that council staff are rifling through public bins in the hope of catching someone out. How much is this costing?

"The council is always complaining it has no money yet it can afford to do this."

Flintshire Council, in north Wales, threatened to prosecute, and the environmental enforcement team asked her to attend an "interview under caution" under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The authority suggested she bring a solicitor, however Ms Sheldon Lane, who is a full-time carer for her 13-year-old child who has additional needs, said she cannot afford one.

According to the Flintshire Council's website, it is an offence to use public litter bins to dispose of household or business waste

An officer said she was the fourth person to be investigated within a week, and "he said he also has discretion to impose a 375 littering fine instead".

Ms Sheldon Lane added: "I will probably have to accept the £75 littering fine as I can't afford a fly-tipping charge.

"In this day and age, who can afford these kinds of spurious fines? It will have to come out of my carer's allowance.

"It's really sad that people are being targeted who are only trying to do the right thing."

She continued: "I understand there are some items that shouldn't be put in a public bin, like diabetic boxes containing used needles that should be returned to a chemist.

"But a non-recyclable plastic parcel wrapper? Where's the common sense in that?

"The most annoying thing is that I live nearby and I can see this bin from my house.

"Every day I see older people sitting down nearby to read their letters - will they be targeted too?"

Flintshire Council said it was "currently investigating this matter".

Chief Officer for Streetscene and Transportation Katie Wilby said: "As it is an active investigation, it is not appropriate to comment further at this stage."

According to the council's website, it is an offence to use public litter bins to dispose of household or business waste.