In a dramatic turn of events, a woman commuter in London was fined £150 (approximately ₹17,500) for allegedly pouring leftover coffee into the drain moments before she had to catch her bus. Although, South-West London council has reversed the decision to fine her and let her go with a fair warning. The incident has left netizens in shock and curious.
As reported by BBC, Burcu Yesilyurt, who lives in Kew, said she thought she was acting responsibly when she poured a small amount from her reusable cup down the drain rather than risking spilling it on the bus she was about to catch. As soon as she poured the coffee, she was abducted by three enforcement officers at the bus stop near Richmond Station and imposed a fine under section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The act says marks her act as an offense to deposit or dispose of waste in a way likely to pollute land or water, including pouring liquids into street drains.
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Ms. Yesilyurt went on to say that she had questioned the law enforcement officials about any information or signs alerting people about the law, but they could not respond her.
According to a Richmond Council representative, the council was pleased that the law enforcement officers behaved appropriately after reviewing the body-worn video of the event. On Wednesday, an email was sent from the council at 15:00 BST to Ms Yesilyurt, saying, "I can advise that on review, the Fixed Penalty Notice has been canceled."
Following the cancellation of the FPN, Ms Yesilyurt told BBC News: "I'm quite happy the council recognized the sensitivity of this situation and they've reconsidered." The council assures that anyone who wishes to challenge Fixed Penalty Notices within an appeal process available can do it.
