A distraught mum has recounted the moment she felt "like a " after being slapped with a £100 littering fine when a receipt accidentally flew out of her handbag.
Jayne Saywell, 56, was trying to lift her spirits in , south east , last Thursday following her father's death, when she experienced what she described as "a bit of a wind tunnel" outside leading to the mishap. The beauty therapist claimed she only caught a fleeting glimpse of the receipt and wasn't sure it was hers, so she didn't stop.
Moments later, an enforcement officer confronted her and issued the fine. She explained: "I saw it out of the corner of my eye and wasn't 100 per cent sure it was mine. I hadn't thought anything of it. I wasn't going to chase after someone else's rubbish and I hadn't realised it was mine. Two minutes later, an environmental enforcement officer was threatening to detain me if I didn't give him my details.
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"It was not a nice experience. I was quite harassed and it wasn't pleasant. It wasn't my fault, that's what got me.", I just wanted to get through my day when I was already sad and it just ruined my day completely. I offered to go pick it up, but they wouldn't let me, it is just not reasonable behaviour. It made me feel like a criminal."
The mother of two, hailing from nearby Keston, has since contested the fine, urging the council to review the footage and see that she "obviously" hadn't done it intentionally, reports . She revealed that after sharing her experience on , several others - particularly women - came forward with similar tales.
Mrs Saywell stated: "I don't ever do anything wrong; I never throw litter on the floor. I felt really wronged by it. I was so angry. It just wasn't right because I didn't throw it on the floor. It was just really unfair. It was really upsetting. It was just a horrible experience. I will pay it begrudgingly, but I just feel that it is really unfair. I was laying awake all night thinking about what I should have said in the moment."
Bromley Council has been contacted for a comment.
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