Woman fined for pouring coffee down drain has charged cancelled
She was fined £150
A woman who was fined 150 pounds for pouring the last of her coffee down a drain in west London has had the charge cancelled
Richmond Council said it was likely an appeal would have been upheld had one been lodged
Burcu Yesilyurt described the fine as 'unfair' and 'extreme' saying she thought she was being responsible getting rid of the liquid before getting on a bus
She was stopped by enforcement officers in west London on October 10 and fined under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
She said she had been trying to avoid littering
Richmond Council said it had looked at bodyworn footage of the incident and its officers were "in no way aggressive" and "it is clear that a contravention took place which justified the fixed penalty notice (FPN) being issued."
The spokesman added: "FPNs clearly outline that there is an appeal process available to anyone who wishes to challenge them.
"It is likely that, had this case progressed through that route, the notice would have been rescinded. On this occasion, the council has therefore decided to cancel the FPN.
"We remain committed to protecting Richmond's waterways and keeping our borough's streets clean and safe. We are also reviewing our advice on the disposal of liquids in a public place and will be updating this information on our website."
The council website says that dropping or depositing litter on any land open to the air is an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and offenders can be served with a Fixed Penalty Notice for £150 or face prosecution and a maximum fine of £2,500 on conviction.
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