Litter police ‘fined man for spitting out leaf’
A man who claimed he was fined £250 for spitting out a leaf after throwing it in his mouth has criticized the “unnecessary” behavior of a litter check.
Roy Marsh, 86, was reprimanded by two officers from East Lindsey District Council staff when he stopped to rest while walking through the South Parade Car Park in Skegness in February.
Mr Marsh told the BBC: “While I was sitting there a storm threw a large straw into my mouth. I spat it out and just as I stood up and walked away two men walked away [enforcement officers] came to me.
One of the officers told Mr Marsh that he was seen spitting on the ground. He claimed he told the officer he was acting like a “stupid kid.”
“It was all unnecessary and disproportionate.” Mr Marsh added.
He was fined £250 for the incident, but this was later reduced to £150 on appeal.
It comes after borough councilor Adrian Findley said he had received a number of complaints about similar “harsh” incidents and had been approached by other angry residents.
Mr Findley, representing Reform UK, said: “They [enforcement officers] They go too far. If I came here on holiday and got fined £250 I wouldn’t want to risk coming back.
“They need to have discretion on how to act [enforcement officers] impose a fine. If it’s windy, we can’t expect old people to chase crisp packets down the road.
“If it appears to be a genuine accident, give people the opportunity to apologize and remove the incident.”
ELDC said its enforcement teams “will only approach individuals who are seen to be committing environmental crimes.”
Major Martin Foster, East Lindsey District Council Operational Services Portfolio Holder, said: “While we cannot go into the circumstances of individual cases, enforcement officers working on behalf of the Council will only approach people who are seen to be committing environmental offences. This includes spitting as a form of littering.”
“The council closely monitors data on enforcement actions, including littering, fly tipping and dog-related offences. This suggests patrols are not targeting a specific demographic group.”
“We also monitor practices to ensure they are not discriminatory and remain compliant with the Equality Act. “Our ultimate aim is to create a change in behavior and stop people committing environmental crime, so that both residents and visitors can enjoy a clean and safe environment.”
