A girl aged four who dropped a piece of sausage roll landed her mother with a £75 fine after they were pounced on by litter wardens.
Little Chloe Davies had just been handed a piece of the snack by mother Sarah, but it missed her mouth and fell on the ground.
Seconds later, council 'environmental crime' officers handed the pair a £75 on-the-spot fine – though Ms Davies claims pigeons had already flown away with the piece of pastry.
The 20-year-old mother, who lives on £94 a week, at first refused to give the wardens her details and claims she was threatened with arrest in Hull city centre on Monday.
She said: 'At first I thought they were canvassers as they were dressed in tracksuit bottoms. But one came up to me, said he was from the council and said I was going to be fined.
'He wasn't polite at all, he was rude, and I began to walk away. He then said I would be arrested if I didn't give him my name and details. I was treated like a criminal.'
Ms Davies has vowed to fight the fine and is prepared to go to court.
Conservatives on Hull City Council said it was 'officialdom gone mad'.
Councillor David Woods, of the ruling Lib Dems, pledged to investigate but added: 'There are always some people who don't think it's their responsibility to take rubbish home.'
Earlier this month, Wolverhampton City Counil spent £2,800 in a bid to prosecute a woman who threw an apple core from her car window.
Original article here