A GOOD Samaritan has given £200 to a father-of-three after he was fined £900 for leaving his children's toys in a communal garden.

Former city councillor Rob Peachey described the penalty as 'outrageous' and offered his support to Ben Keitch, who is currently on benefits.

Mr Keitch, of Lingmell Court, Worcester, previously said he could only afford to pay the fine off at a rate of £3.70 per week.

But West Mercia Homes argued that it had taken legal action as a last resort and described the donation as 'heartwarming'.

Mr Peachey said: "It seems to me quite unreasonable both on the behalf of the judiciary and the housing association.

"What sort of world are we living in?

"I think a family with three kids are going to want somewhere for their children to play.

"In a small two-bedroom house... it's overcrowded. It's outrageous."

Mr Peachey, of York Place, Worcester, added that he was astonished by the excessively high fine.

Mr Keitch thanked the former councillor for his kind donation.

The 24-year-old received the fine from West Mercia Homes on Monday, January 8, after the housing association told him that the toys posed a fire risk.

He said some of the items he left in the garden outside his home included a fence, small table, little wooden swing, roll-up swimming pool, toy vehicles and chairs.

Mr Keitch claimed that he put up the fence around two years ago after neighbours moved in with dogs.

A spokesman for West Mercia Homes previously said the housing association had been trying to resolve the issue since July 2016.

The spokesman added: "The generosity of this particular member of the public is heartwarming.

"We appreciate that some readers will find our stance tough, however we made every effort to resolve this with Mr Keitch before going to court.

"When customers sign for a tenancy with us, they agree to certain conditions about how they will live in their home.

"If they fail to meet these conditions, we will take action and in rare cases, that means the matter goes to court."

Mr Keitch previously said that he has removed the items from the area and no longer allows his children to use the garden due to dog mess.