86-year-old fined $335 for littering — after spitting out leaf that blew into his mouth
An 86-year-old man in England was slapped with an eye-watering fine after spitting out a leaf that had accidentally blown into his mouth.
Roy Marsh was taking a break during a walk in a car park in the tourist town of Skegness, on England’s east coast, when a “big reed” was blown into his mouth by the wind. “I spat it out, and just as I got up to walk away, two enforcement officers came up to me,” Marsh told the BBC.
The confused octogenarian said that when the officers accused him of spitting on the ground, he jokingly called one of them a “silly boy.” But the officers were serious, and Marsh was issued a £250 ($335) fine.
“It was all unnecessary and all out of proportion,” he said. Marsh noted that an appeal could reduce the fine to £150 ($200), but he is still required to pay the full amount initially.
Local officials have criticized the heavy-handed enforcement in the town. County councillor Adrian Findley described the case as an example of overly strict policing in a seaside community that depends heavily on tourism.
“They are taking it too far,” Findley told the BBC. “If I came here on holiday and was given a £250 fine, I wouldn’t want to risk coming back. There needs to be discretion. We can’t expect elderly people to chase crisp packets down the road if it’s windy.”
Findley suggested that officers should assess whether an incident is a genuine accident before handing out large fines, or at the very least give people a chance to apologize and rectify the situation.
East Lindsey District Council defended its enforcement approach, stating that officers “only approach individuals seen committing environmental crime offences.” The council added that patrols are “not targeted at any specific demographic” and are “not discriminatory.”
Marsh’s situation is not unique. In October, a woman in London was fined £150 ($200) for pouring a small amount of coffee down a storm drain to avoid spilling it on herself while boarding a bus. Burcu Yesilyurt described the incident as a shock, saying she felt “shaky” after being stopped by three enforcement officers.
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