What prompted the fine?
A woman in London recently received a hefty penalty for pouring her coffee down a storm drain before catching a bus, as reported.
On October 10, Burg Yeshiurt made a quick decision to dump “just a little” of her reusable coffee cup into the drain, choosing to avoid a spill on the bus to work in southwest London, according to reports.
As soon as the coffee touched the ground, she was approached by three police officers at the bus stop who quickly issued her a £150 fine (approximately $200) under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. This legislation prohibits the disposal of waste in ways that could contaminate land or water, including pouring liquids into drains.
“When I turned around, I noticed that three men, the bailiffs, were chasing after me. They stopped me right away,” she recounted.
Having such a run-in with law enforcement for what seemed like an innocuous act left Yeshiurt feeling quite “upset.”
“It was a real shock,” she said.
Yeshiurt pointed out that she didn’t see any signs indicating that throwing anything into the drains was prohibited, yet the officers told her she should have thrown her coffee in a nearby trash can instead.
“I feel it’s quite unfair. I think the fine is extreme. It’s disproportionate,” she stated.
After word of the incident spread on social media, many users criticized the fine as “ridiculous,” prompting local authorities to reassess the situation on Wednesday and ultimately decide to revoke the penalty.
Richmond City Council announced that Yeshiurt’s appeal would likely be successful, although they still claimed that the law enforcement response was justified.
“I’m really pleased that the council acknowledged the sensitivity of this issue and reconsidered,” Yeshiurt commented.
“I’ve never met anyone who was aware that this could be considered a crime,” she added.
