87-year-old woman fined £150 for dropping a fag butt

[arista]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/KH-COMP-P25-JOBS-WORTH-1.jpg?w=1280&quality=44


[A Council Litter Warden is slammed for
following woman, 87, as she struggled with
a walking frame before pouncing and
fining her £150 the second she dropped
a cigarette butt

Bertha Quinn, 87, was 'wobbly on her feet'
as she could not afford the £150 fine]

£125 Fine on the Spot (she did not have that much)
or
£150 for delayed fine


https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/07/26/00/73614171-12337627-CCTV_footage_reveals_a_jobsworth_enforcement_offic er_left_appear-m-38_1690329501194.jpg





Ch5HD AM Live 1st show reported:

The Romford, East London council
is now looking into this
and is sorry to the lady


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12337627/Jobsworth-council-litter-warden-slammed-following-woman-87-struggling-walking-frame-pouncing-fining-150-second-dropped-cigarette-butt.html

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23184349/romford-woman-fined-jobsworth-dropping-cigarette-butt/

[user104658]

You don't have to give these litter wardens your details - they're not police, and they can't detain you in any way.

No excuse for dropping cigarette butts on the street to be fair. I think though surely a verbal reminder that it's A) littering and B) ****ing gross would have been enough here.

Do they get bonuses based on number of fines handed out, I wonder?

[bots]

i would guess he gets a bonus, and the poor woman probably didnt have a clue what she did wrong

[user104658]

the poor woman probably didnt have a clue what she did wrong

I don't buy that, she's elderly no mention of her being senile, I call BS on her not knowing that it isn't OK to stamp out your cigarettes on the pavement in 2023 :laugh:.

"In my day everyone did that I didn't know!"

NAH! You knew :suspect:

(edit: I do still think a £100+ on the spot fine is harsh and also adult rent-a-cop blokes approaching little old ladies in the street to wave their imaginary wang of power around is needlessly intimidating. Could jsut have been a polite conversation to remind her not to do it. Take action if you see the same person doing it repeatedly after being asked not to.)

[smudgie]

So basically this means you can’t smoke in the street, unless you are prepared to burn yourself putting the fag out before taking it home to bin.:shrug:

[bots]

i didn't know it was against the law to drop a fag butt, probably a good thing i stopped smoking a while ago

[user104658]

So basically this means you can’t smoke in the street, unless you are prepared to burn yourself putting the fag out before taking it home to bin.:shrug:

Yes. I don't actually see how this is a problem :joker:.

I don't see how anyone would burn themselves stubbing it out on a wall etc. and if there's no bin around... yes... make sure it's stubbed out properly and put it in your bag or pocket. Will this make your bag or pocket stink? Yes but that's no one elses' problem :shrug:.

[Liam-]

You don’t get to dodge laws just because you’re old, you drop your fag butt? You face a potential, don’t be a scruff

[arista]

You don’t get to dodge laws just because you’re old, you drop your fag butt? You face a potential, don’t be a scruff


Would it be OK
Slick Liam
for her to pick it up.
And tell the Council Warden
she is sorry, and will not do it again?

[user104658]

Would be OK
Slick Liam
for her to pick it up.
And tell the Council Warden
she is sorry, and will not do it again?

She's on a zimmer frame it would be a bit harsh to make her pick it up :laugh:.

"Risk serious injury and death or cough up £150, your call smokey joe."

[arista]

She's on a zimmer frame it would be a bit harsh to make her pick it up :laugh:.

"Risk serious injury and death or cough up £150, your call smokey joe."



Let her have a go
£150 she can not afford

[Oliver_W]

So basically this means you can’t smoke in the street, unless you are prepared to burn yourself putting the fag out before taking it home to bin.:shrug:

Would you say that people can't eat or drink on the street, as they can't drop their wrappers everywhere?

[smudgie]

Would you say that people can't eat or drink on the street, as they can't drop their wrappers everywhere?

Hopefully bins are provided, but imagine putting a cig butt in the bin, setting the lot on fire maybe.
I detest litter louts, if there are sand buckets available for cig butts then fine everyone.

[arista]

Hopefully bins are provided, but imagine putting a cig butt in the bin, setting the lot on fire maybe.
I detest litter louts, if there are sand buckets available for cig butts then fine everyone.


The bins have a Metal top
so your cig.,
is stubbed out

[Crimson Dynamo]

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[Crimson Dynamo]

XOg_lKJQQkw

[Beso]

This rule is ridiculous. It said it stops littering...well does it?

Cigarette butt dropped.
Fine issued.
Cigarette butt still left on floor.

Bloody ridiculous, but I'm annoyed at the council as well for apologising just cause the women is old.

And what happens to school kids? Do they get approached and fined?

[arista]

This rule is ridiculous. It said it stops littering...well does it?

Cigarette butt dropped.
Fine issued.
Cigarette butt still left on floor.

Bloody ridiculous, but I'm annoyed at the council as well for apologising just cause the women is old.

And what happens to school kids? Do they get approached and fined?


They run off

[Cherie]

A bit heavy handed on behalf of the warden, a warning would be enough, that said I am sure she could afford the fine, she can afford to buy cigs and must be a heavy smoker if she has to have one while wheeling around town

[rusticgal]

She needs to buy herself a mobile ashtray with a lid....they have been about for years.

[Alf]

Would it be OK
Slick Liam
for her to pick it up.
And tell the Council Warden
she is sorry, and will not do it again?Yes, just pick it up and tell those wardens to sod off. Never give them your details.

[user104658]

This rule is ridiculous. It said it stops littering...well does it?


tbf I imagine anyone who has forked out a £150 fine thinks twice before dropping another cigarette...


Tell you what DOES piss me off though - the people who ping them out car windows and they come bouncing off your windscreen :oh:.

Also my dad was terrible for smoking in the car when we were kids... and one time he flicked one out the window not realising my sister's window in the back was also open, and it flew back in her window and burned her arm. Objectively terrible but when you're a 7 year old and it's your older sister... pretty funny...

[bots]

i burnt my crotch in the car a couple of times when the end fell off the fag .... those were the days :laugh:

[Swan]

It's harsh, but dropping dog ends has been an offence for what? 20 or more years now?

[DemolitionRed]

About seven years ago I was walking through Woking with a friend, when we came across and elderly lady crying and pleading with this warden. My friend being a barrister, decided to find out why this old lady was so upset. Turns out she'd stubbed her cigarette out on the pavement and the cameras in the office opposite had captured this and sent an officer running down to give her a fine.
My friend stepped in and gave this officer a lecture and the officer left red faced.

[DemolitionRed]

It's harsh, but dropping dog ends has been an offence for what? 20 or more years now?

A police constable would of given her a telling off, but then PC's don't generally like to give out fines. Sadly, community policing has now been taken over by 'for profit warden companies' and there whole point is to pull in money.

[UserSince2005]

You don’t get to dodge laws just because you’re old, you drop your fag butt? You face a potential, don’t be a scruff

Are you kiding me? if this had been an ethnic youd have been in tears!

[Crimson Dynamo]

Are you kiding me? if this had been an ethnic youd have been in tears!

or a rainbow

[user104658]

About seven years ago I was walking through Woking with a friend, when we came across and elderly lady crying and pleading with this warden. My friend being a barrister, decided to find out why this old lady was so upset. Turns out she'd stubbed her cigarette out on the pavement and the cameras in the office opposite had captured this and sent an officer running down to give her a fine.
My friend stepped in and gave this officer a lecture and the officer left red faced.

I think it's genuinely important for people to know that they absolutely DON'T have to give any personal details to rent-a-cops. They can call the police and try to get them to come down and you do have to give them details - but in most cases, realistically, they're not going to turn up for a LONG time... which is what makes the second part important: They can't legally detain you either. And if they try to in any way physically it can be considered assault.

Basically when they ask you for details you can just say no, or completely fabricate your details, and walk away. They can't stop you.

I'm also pretty sure the "rules" are that they're supposed to stop you and ask you to pick up the litter and dispose of it properly in the first instance, and they're only supposed to (try to) hand out fines if you refuse or if it's a known repeat offender.