A woman was so shocked she "nearly fell over" after receiving a fine for feeding ducks.
Dementia nurse Susan Watson, 68, was taking a leisurely stroll on Tuesday, January 31, along her local river in Tonbridge, Kent. She offered the ducks in the water some bread and that was when she was approached by a council enforcement officer who told her that she was facing a £150 fine.
They added that if she coughed up the money straight away then it would be lowered to £100 while issuing her with an '18-inch long' littering ticket. The grandmother agreed to pay up, but has since called up the council who have told her they are not aware that there is a fine for feeding ducks.
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Speaking to ITV Meridian, Susan said: "When he said it was £150 I nearly fell over. I think I was in shock, because I'm not usually quiet, and I just took the piece of paper off him and put it in my pocket.
"I walked round the town, thinking I don't believe it. I popped into the local butchers and told him and he couldn't believe it either. He said he was going to call his wife to tell her as she also feeds the ducks."
In the end, things turned out for the best, as the council admitted that there was a mistake and that the fine should never have been issued. Susan has now been issued with a full refund and an apology.
Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council said in a statement: "We got this one wrong. The enforcement officer considered that dropping what he felt was a large amount of bread into the river justified a penalty.
"However, before this was even brought to our attention, the company had reviewed the case and come to the decision that it was not warranted. The penalty has already been refunded and we’d like to apologise to for the error."
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