To have told these guys to get off my driveway? (Bin)

[TheViewFromTheCheapSeats]

Thursday is bin day, wheelie bins are out at the boundary for collection. Other days my bins are near the kitchen door as it practical, round the back/at the side corner of the house.
Last night (Tuesday) in the dark I was a bit freaked out to hear people right outside my back door about 8:30pm. Just me and the kids home. Two guys, one with a clipboard, one with a torch looking in a bin were there.
They’d walked down my drive and down the side of my house to look in bins by the back door (you’d just about see them from the front as one bin was sticking out).
I was a bit shocked, thought they could be identify thieves / burglars casing at first and shouted ‘oi, get out! Out! What you doing?! Get out my garden!’ out of the upstairs window.
I followed to the front door and opened it and the guy was all defensive-that it’s his job to check bins for the council to see we haven’t put anything in them not allowed. Apparently everyone else understands this and has no problem/ he doesn’t expect to be shouted at.
I didn’t swear or carry on shouting, but I think most people would shout at two guys in the dark they found rummaging in their back garden? I just stepped out and locked the side gate and told them they could check in collection days as much as they like, but they have no right to enter as they please. Speaking to others they are definitely from the council.

1. In the dark wandering around houses isn’t on
   
2. What is in my bin outside collection days is my business, the kids sometimes make recycling mistakes and before I put the bins out I check the rubbish is in the correct bin
   
3. The bin men will only take the bins from the boundary, not even two foot down the drive. So why can these guys walk around the house?
   

He also popped a letter through the door after a few minutes that’s a warning letter about the recycling, threatening an £80 fine if we put out non-recycling items again. He’s written in the blank space there was ‘food packaging’ in the recycling bin. Apparently they have recorded this. I’ve been to check the in bin this morning and I can’t see anything in the wheelie bin that’s not allowed! There’s food packaging like clean Tins etc, but nothing not on the website list. Also, the bloody bin wasn’t even out for collection.

Aibu to write a complaint? Partly regarding the first step of an £80 fine!

[Anits52]

What if you had a dog that had been taken by surprise and attacked? they should have called to the door. I would totally have done the same.

[user1471447863]

YANBU
They took a hell of a risk snooping round peoples gardens in the dark, they are very lucky they were not attacked as presumed to be intruders. I'd love to see their task risk assessment for this

It's not always easy to think what to do in the heat of the moment but you would not have been out of order to phone the police and report a couple of men creeping around your garden in the dark.

As for the threatened fine - you'd be quite right to insist on an immediate and unequivocal withdrawal of that threat and an apology. What you store in your bins while on your property is your business and yours alone until such time as it is presented for collection - which it wasn't.
And as for the threat of fines when they are out, well you have to put them out prior to 7am here so they usually go out around tea time the night before and may not get picked up until 6pm so can quite easily have been out 24h and free to be tampered with/contaminated by all and sundry

[5foot5]

YANBU that is outrageous. It would have freaked me out too to hear strangers in my back garden after dark. I can only imagine how scary it might have been for an old person.

Apart from all that I am outraged on your behalf for the intrusion. As you say, you hadn't actually put the bin out for collection yet.