Re Peyvand Khorsandi’s article (I was fined £150 for feeding a pigeon a chip. Is this really how councils raise funds now?, 22 February), I was issued with a fine in north Wales after I fed the last of my lunch (an oatcake) to a seagull on Abergele Pensarn beach. When I expressed surprise, I was informed that it was tantamount to littering (even though the seagull gobbled it immediately), and that seagulls were a menace to children so feeding them was actively discouraged.
I appealed in writing against the fine, but the council informed me that there were notices in the local press and signs posted all around the beach area advising the public not to feed the seagulls and that fines would be imposed for contravention.
I explained that I was a day visitor from Cheshire and didn’t read the local press, and that there were no notices anywhere near the beach (I had actively looked for them myself). I said that if the council could provide me with the location of one or more of these signs I would gladly pay. Its reply was to say the fine had been withdrawn.
I’m not against the introduction of bylaws that are in the public interest, but I am most definitely in favour of information and communication to help us contribute to safe and pleasant spaces.
Kathleen Brady
Crewe, Cheshire
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