A woman who believed she was doing a sensible thing by pouring the final remnants of her coffee down a drain before boarding a bus has had her fine reversed.
Burcu Yesilyurt thought it was a “responsible” thing to pour the remaining liquid from her reusable cup into a drain near the Richmond bus stop in West London.
Ms Yesilyurt said she “noticed my bus was approaching, so I just poured the leftover bit”.
She added there wasn’t much, in fact, “it was just a tiny little bit”.
“As soon as I turned around, I noticed three men, enforcement officers, chasing me, and they stopped me immediately,” the woman added.
“It feels quite unfair. I think the fine is extreme. It’s not proportionate.”
She was fined by Richmond-Upon-Thames Council officers under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, according to the BBC.
The law makes it an offence to deposit or dispose of waste in a way likely to pollute land or water, including pouring liquids into street drains.
However, the Liberal Democrats council leader spoke to LBC, confirming the fine had been rescinded.
Ms Yesilyurt said she had “no clue” it was illegal and further added that there were no signs or information warning people.
She said the encounter with the officers was “quite intimidating” and that she was left feeling “shaky”.
A Richmond Council spokesman said the body-worn footage was reviewed and they did “not agree that officers behaved aggressively”.
“Footage confirms the officers acted professionally and were sensitive to the circumstances,” the spokesman added.
Ms Yesilyurt said the officers said she should have poured it in a nearby bin.
She said she had been trying to act responsibly and avoid littering.
“It feels quite unfair,” she said.
Ms Yesilyurt had not yet paid the fine and instead issued a complaint to the council.
The spokesman said: “Nobody likes receiving a fine, and we always aim to apply our policies fairly and with understanding”.
While being committed to “protecting Richmond’s waterways and keeping our borough’s streets clean and safe” the council spokesman added that the “notice would have been rescinded”.
“It is clear that a contravention took place which justified the Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) being issued,” the spokesman said.
“FPNs clearly outline that there is an appeal process available to anyone who wishes to challenge them.”
The spokesman said that the council had therefore decided to cancel the notice.
