Wellington woman Jamie Moss has been doing her civil duty by picking up litter – but now she is afraid of being accused of fly-tipping.

Jamie regularly walks her dog Wilbur along some of the back streets of the town where she bags up rubbish and takes it home to her flat in High Street.

“I started picking up litter after seeing a lot of glass outside St John’s, but I vary the route I walk with Wilbur because apparently there are dog thieves about,” said Jamie.

“I’ve picked up quite a lot of litter over the past few weeks, including some that was dropped when the rubbish was being tipped into the refuse vehicle. I was just doing my civic duty.”

She was ready to put it out for recycling last week – but she didn’t receive a blue bag for plastics until after the collection time on Monday.

“I live in a small flat with Wilbur and a 25-year-old cat, which means I can’t keep all this rubbish at home, so I put it in a bag on my doorstep with a note begging the recycling people to please, please take it.

“They left me a flyer – on a plastic material that I’m sure can’t be recycled – telling me why they wouldn’t pick it up. It’s made me just so cross.”

Jamie took the bag of rubbish to the nearest public litter bin: “I didn’t know what else to do – I can’t put it all back where I found it!

“I don’t have a car, so I can’t take it to the tip, and I can’t keep it in my flat until the next collection, either, because there just isn’t the space.”

And she added: “I’m really scared that, by leaving the litter next to the bin – there’s too much to put inside it – I’ll be accused of fly-tipping. I was only trying to do my bit and it’s given me all this worry.”