No prosecution after skip arrest

Genny Bove said she was helping the council meet recycling targets

An environmental campaigner who was arrested for taking four plastic chairs from a recycling centre has been told she will not be prosecuted.

Genny Bove, 46, from Wrexham, called it a "criminal waste of money" when she was questioned and bailed for taking chairs from a general rubbish skip.

She said she was delighted the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had the "good sense to drop the case".

The CPS confirmed no further action. North Wales Police declined to comment.

Ms Bove admitted taking the chairs from the Brymbo Household Recycling Centre at Lodge, Wrexham, which is run by Waste Recycling Group (WRG) on behalf of Wrexham Council.

I am very relieved that there will not now be a costly court case on top of the money already wasted Genny Bove

Ms Bove said there was no victim because the chairs were about to be sent to a landfill site, which she said went against the council's own waste policy.

In a statement at the time, Wrexham Council said removing items from skips was dangerous and banned, but said it did not want to press charges.

However, Ms Bove was arrested after the incident and said her DNA and fingerprints were taken.

'Heavy-handedness'

She was interviewed before being released on bail and claimed she had been told she might have to take part in a video identity parade.

Speaking on Monday, Ms Bove said she was "very pleased that the CPS has had the good sense to drop this case, as too much public money has already been wasted on it".

But she criticised the fact that she had been reported for theft, and said police should not have spent time investigating.

"I cannot begin to imagine how much this has already cost the public purse, but I am very relieved that there will not now be a costly court case on top of the money already wasted."

She added: "I would urge the police to use their discretion and refuse to investigate such cases.

"I realise that they are under a lot of pressure to achieve numbers of arrests and convictions as a result of government targets, but criminalising people for environmentally friendly acts is short-sighted and ill-advised.

"It is a criminal waste of our money, does nothing to reduce crime, and damages the reputation of the police in the eyes of the public."