Quackers: Mother fined £75 for feeding ducks (but toddler son gets off because he's too young to prosecute)

Published 13th Nov 2009

A council warden fined a mother £75 for feeding the ducks - but allowed her one-year-old son to continue because he was ‘too young to prosecute’.

Vanessa Kelly, 26, had taken her son Harry on his weekly afternoon treat to visit their local park when she was approached by a council worker.

The pair had been throwing bread to ducks in Smethwick Hall Park, in the West Midlands, but stopped as soon as they were warned that they were outside the ‘designated feeding areas for birds’.

But the over-zealous female warden pulled out a hand-held computer and issued Miss Kelly with an on-the-spot fine for ‘littering’.

The full-time mother was then told her son could continue to throw bread as he was too young to be fined.

She said: ‘I had Harry on my hip and a bag of bread in my hand and we were both throwing crumbs to the ducks as the warden approached.

‘I didn't think anything of it and certainly didn't think we were doing anything wrong, which is why I was surprised when she stopped me.

‘She explained that it was banned because it could attract vermin. She said there had been complaints about children slipping over on their way to school on duck mess. I said it was fair enough and fastened the bag.

‘I couldn't believe my eyes when she then pulled out a little computer and started to issue a ticket.

‘Harry was still throwing the bread though and the warden told me he could carry on as he was too young to prosecute. I couldn't believe it.’

The fine, issued at 4pm on Tuesday, came at the worst possible time for Miss Kelly, after her job as an office administrator came to an end last week.

She added: ‘I take my son to feed to the ducks every week and he loves it. To be fined £75 is an absolute disgrace. Parking fines are less.

‘I will be fighting this fine all the way.’

Miss Kelly, from Oldbury, said that a sign in the park warned of the dangers of ‘overfeeding’ the birds, but there was no indication that people could be fined.

She has lodged a complaint with Sandwell Council and intends to appeal.

The council defended the fine, claiming that feeding the birds attracts rats.

A council spokesperson added: ‘As the woman was being issued with the fine the kid was still throwing bread. In temper she turned around and said: 'I suppose you're going to issue him with a fine as well.'

‘The warden told her that he could not do that in any case because he was too young to prosecute.’

Councillor Mahboob Hussain added: ‘This park has a major problem with Canada Geese and people living nearby feel intimidated by the large numbers. Road-users also feel the birds are a danger to motorists and passengers.

‘We have had so many complaints that we decided to create designated feeding areas for birds.

‘Too much food can cause bird populations to grow out of control as well as leaving litter and attracting rats, which poses an environmental health risk.

‘The penalty notice would be reduced to £50 if paid within ten days.’

In 2007 grandmother Barbara Jubb was fined £80 by Crawley Council after her 20-month-old granddaughter Emily dropped two crisps on the pavement.

On Monday Oxford University student Demetrios Samouris was handed the same penalty by a street sweeper for dropping a single match in the road.

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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