Woman slapped with £150 fine for pouring coffee down drain in London street

A woman in London said she was fined £150 for dumping the remains of her coffee down the drain.

Burcu Yesilyurt, from Kew, was reportedly approached by three law enforcement officers after she poured a drink from her reusable cup into a road drain in Richmond, not knowing it was illegal.

He was fined under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which states that it is unlawful to store or dispose of waste in a way that contaminates land or water, including dumping liquids into street drains.

“It’s quite unfair. I think the penalty is excessive. It’s not proportionate,” said Ms Yesilyurt, who lives in Kew. BBC.

Yeşilyurt, who filed a complaint with the municipality, claimed that he felt he was acting responsibly by pouring the liquid on the bus he was on so as not to spill it.

He said: “I noticed my bus was approaching and I spilled the rest. It wasn’t much, it was just a little. When I turned around I realized three men, law enforcement officers, were chasing me and they stopped me immediately.”

A Richmond Council spokesman said the officer was reviewing the officer’s body camera footage. “The bailiffs acted appropriately and understandingly,” they said.

Ms Yesilyurt’s sentence was later annulled and she is calling for the law, which she was unaware of, to be made more public by placing signs near garbage bins and bus stops.

A spokesman for Richmond Council said: “Fixed penalty notices make it clear that an appeal process is available to anyone wishing to challenge them. “Had this case proceeded in this way it is likely that the notice would have been cancelled.

“On this occasion the council has decided to cancel the fixed penalty notice.

“We are committed to protecting Richmond’s waterways and keeping our borough’s streets clean and safe. We are also reviewing our recommendations for disposing of liquids in public places and will update this information on our website.”