02 April 2023 , 03:30
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A hairdresser has claimed he was "treated like a criminal" by litter officers after accidentally dropping a receipt as he looked for change in his pocket.
Stewart Bernie said he was confronted by two uniformed environmental officers when he left a newsagent after buying an e-cigarette.
He said that two more officers were positioned nearby after spotting that he had dropped a receipt onto the pavement on his way to the shop.
Mr Bernie first thought he was being asked for help, but quickly realised he was in trouble, reports the Times.
Though he quickly apologised for his inadvertent littering, he claims the first officer was "dismissive" of what he had to say, as well as being "really intimidating" and showing "zero tolerance".
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Environmental officers approached Mr Bernie (Stephanie Maylon/Environment Agency)Mr Bernie says he asked to speak to the police on the phone but was informed by the man on the end of the line that if he attended the scene to deal with the dispute, he would have to make an arrest.
“Suddenly I am in this world of madness, absolute madness,” Mr Bernie said.
He provided his name and address and accepted a penalty notice because he "wanted out of the situation".
Mr Bernie is currently waiting for a ruling on an appeal he launched against the penalty.
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’s code of conduct highlights the need to maintain public support when imposing fines “by ensuring every punitive action is also fair”.
She told the Times: “Accidental littering, something that’s fallen from someone’s pocket, is specifically referred to as a scenario where a fixed-penalty notice should not be issued.”
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “Flytipping and littering are issues that our residents care deeply about and we invest £6million each year to keep our streets clean and vibrant. In this case a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) has been issued, which has not been paid and has been challenged – this is in process and awaiting an outcome.”