Litter Fine

[Malone76]

Hi,
I was in the town center today and as i stood outside a shop eating my sandwich i noticed a pigeon hobbling past me looking for food. I felt a bit sorry for him so i threw him a piece of bread which he ate. Within 30 seconds i had an enforcement officer come over and tell me he was issuing me with a £150 for littering. I was absolutely gobsmacked and initially refused to give my details over. He said that would be an offence which would incur an extra fine plus he would call the police so i gave him my name and address. He then issued me with a fixed penalty notice and i left. After arriving home i have noticed on the ticket that he has written the time as 01.48. Now he hasn't written AM or PM so im treating the time as a 24 hour clock in which case he is stating the offence was committed in the early hours of the morning which is completely wrong. Can i challenge this on the grounds that the offence(if you can even call it that) did not occur at the time written.
thank you

No, that won’t hold up - it’s much harder than people think to get away with these things on a technicality, and just because you’re choosing to interpret the time as a 24 hour clock, doesn’t mean they will.

It’s a harsh penalty, so I am sympathetic. But also bread is bad for birds and pigeons become a nuisance when fed, so at least it’s a lesson learned. Just pay up and next time let the poor pigeon go hungry!

No, it’s a myth that simple typos and errors will get you out of a ticket.
And unfortunately feeding pigeons is classed as littering.

But there was no litter as it was gobbled up!!

That’s the most appalling waste of policing I have ever heard of. What a d*ck!

Bread isn't bad for birds and that is just a myth. So many birds died because of this stupid rumour. I would contest as you weren't littering but feeding an animal and would have picked it up if the bird hadn't eaten it.

How ridiculous. I would refuse to pay it

Little Hitlers like this give most litter officers a bad name.

In reality if you refuse to give your name and address and walk off, they can’t detain you or arrest you. They can call the police but the police will probably not prioritise it and will never find you if they don’t already know you.

@PickwickThePlockingDodo

Believe me i dont want to but if i dont it goes to court where the fine will increase plus i have to pay costs.

The "litter" might have disappeared but pigeons are a proper hygiene hazard and it's really not a good idea to encourage them or give them the means to increase their number. This is why I suspect this is being pursued with a fine rather than someone being a jobsworth.

Pigeons make rats look clean. Most people who live in a city will have observed pigeons munching on crusty remains of vomit. At least rats only rummage in the litter bins.

You should have just walked away.

No. The penalty is harsh but you were in the wrong. Pigeons are a menace and a hygiene issue, not what we need right now.

How ridiculous. I would refuse to pay it

What about the consequences of doing that?

@lifeisgoodmostofthetime www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/feeding-white-bread-to-wild-birds-is-killing-them/

Don’t feed Pigeons. They’re a health hazard, like flying rats.

30 years ago we were outside Cathedrale de Notra Dame in Paris.
We were eating sandwiches and I threw a bit to a pigeon only to have an armed gendarme show me his automatic weapon and made the clicking noise I'd only ever seen/heard in films, obviously inferring that I should desist from feeding the wildlife.
I'd never been so scared and have never felt tempted to feed pigeons again.
Lesson learned.

These ‘enforcement’ officers do work on commissions so they are red hot. . I know it’s too late for you, but a few tips for others should this happen to them.

1. Do not get in your car, they will contact you via your dvla details.
2. Jump in a cab, it’s cheaper than getting the fine.
3. The obvious tip is don’t throw litter, nobody likes to see it.

I’m sorry op, it’s shitty to be hit with a fine when you were just feeding a bird. But you’ll have to pay it or they will send bailiffs around. Hard lesson learned I’m afraid.

It is lottering. There have been a lot of angry people over the years, lots of newspaper headlines and DM sad faces. But it is littering!

Add to that the issue of pigeons being harmed by being fed bread and that they are a public hygiene issue and YABVU. Pay the fine and don't do it again!

My DH used to do this job. They do fine for feeding pigeons as it's encouraging vermin and goes against pest control.

Do many towns have these litter wardens? I wish mine did. Many of the street cleaners were sacked to save money and there's litter everywhere and it lies for weeks. Juice cartons, water bottles, everything. It's horrible.

£150 for feeding a pigeon is harsh, though I wouldn't myself.

@PandaBabies *
*
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/11/14/campaign-against-feeding-ducks-bread-starving-birds-warns-queens/amp/

Your article is from 2 years ago when the deaths started to happened

You should have just walked away.

Or been a law abiding citizen. It's either/or.

You littered, and got caught. Pay the fine.

Most people who live in a city will have observed pigeons munching on crusty remains of vomit.

Maybe because they are starving?

Litter laws are used to prevent the feeding of pigeons which are both a nuisance and a health hazard.

www.totalbirdcontrol.co.uk/bird-control-news/latest-news/is-there-really-a-law-against-feeding-pigeons/

If you want to feed pigeons, then do it on your own premises

Pigeons in cities are basically feathered rats.

I highly doubt the police would have come over someone feeding a pigeon...think there is a lot more going on at the moment and they are tad busy.
I would not have given over my personal details like name and address To basically a complete stranger. I wonder what would have happened if you had walked away?