So while I personally disagree with the fine, technically they were fly tipping as they added their box to the rubbish which included their address.

Yes it is seemingly petty and the council are now PR wise idiots for enforcing the fine, but legally it is pretty clear cut. The council would have to take it on trust that the rest of the rubbish wasn’t theirs and wave the fine, and why would they believe them? We all believe them because its in a BBC article and the couple have kicked up a fuss, and publicised it.

Its one of those stories which isn’t quite as clear cut as it first seems.