Diane Yorgenson was a miracle baby born 13 weeks premature and weighing little more than a bag of sugar.

She captured the hearts of thousands of Chronicle & Echo readers in 1983, when doctors baptised her before emergency surgery, believing she would never reach adulthood.

Now 25 years old and living in a council flat in Towcester Road, Far Cotton, Miss Yorgenson has been given a £100 fine for putting rubbish out on the wrong day and she has vowed not to pay it.

She claimed she did not receive a warning, and added: "I admit the rubbish was left out on a Monday, and collection day is Friday, but everyone in the flats does it."

Miss Yorgenson has spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which gives her movement problems, so she is unable to take her rubbish out herself.

She said: "I have had an ongoing dispute with the council because nobody is available to come up and take my rubbish out of my flat for me, so I have to ask my neighbours.

"All we really need is some kind of communal bin to put bags in, and I have asked for that, but we have got nothing."

Northampton Borough Councillor Trini Crake (Lib Dem, Boughton Green), cabinet member for environment, said: "We get a significant number of complaints from residents about this problem and it's something they want us to take a firm line on.

"Everyone in Miss Yorgenson's block of flats received a Section 46 letter on Thursday, March 6. Our neighbourhood wardens have received a number of complaints about the area and the problems caused by residents putting their waste out days before their collection.

"Everyone living in that block has a storage area at the bottom of the stairwell for storing rubbish bags.

"However, even after receiving her Section 46 letter Miss Yorgerson's rubbish bags were found on the kerb outside of her flat four times within two weeks. We therefore issued a £100 Fixed Penalty.

"Bins and boxes must be put out no earlier than 7pm on the evening before the collection day and no later than 7am on the day of collection."