To complain to the council about this letter.

[AvocadosAtLaw]

Backstory: FILs property, FIL is late 60s but in bad health. Ex-police.

Today FIL received a 'smoke protection order' letter from the Council. In short, ~someone~ has reported him for burning things he shouldn't - plastics etc. - in his fireplace. The letter has an accusing and threatening tone, placing emphasis on the very large fines that he will incur if something is reported again.

FIL hasn't lived at this property for 2 months; no one has. So he phoned the council and was told that the report 'offered a descriptive narrative of the smoke and smell coming from the chimney at his property' [direct quote].

Which is odd, as there is a) no fireplace, and b) NO FUCKING CHIMNEY. Council were told this and offered no apology, no 'we'll look into it'. Just 'oh, are you sure?'. Yes, quite sure.

AIBU to make an official complaint? All they literally would have had to do is go on Google Maps streetview and it can be very clearly seen that there's no sodding chimney. Which implies they've had the complaint and gone right ahead with sending the letter out without doing an investigation of their own .

[AugustaFinkNottle]

YANBU. If they're going to send bullying letters out, they should make at least basic efforts to get their facts right.

[MessedUpWheelieBin]

You can try complaining but I doubt they'll care.

My council require the accused to disprove accusations. Guilty until proven innocent.

Unable to do so to their satisfaction despite the quality of evidence, including from another department of their own organisation, I was summonsed to court.

I intended to apply for travel expenses against them as I'd done everything any reasonable person could to show them why they were incorrect, and they'd ignored it and everything I provided.

I turned up and discovered they run a filter system on defendants they ask for summonses against, and they now decided I wasn't allowed to appear before the magistrates I'd been summonsed by!

Once the council could see I'd turned up and they weren't going to get an automatic fine, then enforcement of it, and were going to look very incompetent, they decided they now accepted the evidence they'd previously rejected, and rescinded the £100 fee for the summons.

I told the clerk of court I wanted the case heard and was told it couldn't be if the council changed their mind on the day, and withdrew defended cases. Apparently most people don't turn up, don't pay the subsequent fine, and end up paying more. I couldn't claim any expenses as my case wasn't heard.

No apology and no understanding of why I didn't feel that they'd done a great job.

They see paying to be being dragged unnecessarily to court as nothing to complain about.