A pensioner suffered from sleepless nights after receiving a £150 littering fine for feeding ducks at a park.
William Varnham, 66, visited Watermead Country Park in Leicester with his wife and his 99-year-old disabled aunt to feed ducks with birdseed from a plastic container.
The family then got back into their van which was parked a few yards from the designated bird-feeding area and went home.
But a few days later, Mr Varnham received a £150 fine from Leicester City Council, leaving the pensioner outraged, Leicestershire Live reports.
The council said penalty notices can be issued due to "huge amounts of food" being offered to the birds in city parks, which leads to littering.
However, Mr Varnham, who has has volunteered as a littler picker himself in his hometown of Melton, maintains he did nothing wrong.
He said: "We did what we usually do. We drove to the park and got a disabled bay which was yards from the designated bird-feeding area.
"I fed the birds with proper bird feed which I bring from my home, walked back to my van with my plastic container and then sat with my wife and aunt and enjoyed a cup of tea while we watched the ducks."
He said he only gave ducks birdseed and not bread, as he knows it is bad for them.
He contacted the city council to appeal against the fine and said he became anxious while waiting for a reply.
Mr Varnham said: "I had been preparing to be taken to court over this. It was one of the worst weeks of my life - I had sleepless nights.
"My wife and I are retired, we're in a cost-of-living crisis, I couldn't afford to pay £150. I was so worried that my 99-year-old aunt offered to pay the fine."
He said there was a park warden when he visited it and believes the official may have seen some bread on the floor and thought he had fed it to the ducks.
Eventually, the fine was cancelled. Although, the council said the officer was "not incorrect in their actions" when they decided to fine Mr Varnham.
The OAP said the council have "called his honour into question" and added he fears other innocent park visitors could face the same treatment.
A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: "Mr Varnham's fine was cancelled on appeal and we apologise for any distress caused.
"We have a problem with huge amounts of food being put down for birds on several of our parks, and we have signs in place across our parks – including at Watermead - advising people of the impact this has and warning them they may face a fixed penalty fine if they do so.
"Not only does over-feeding affect the ecosystem of the park, it also attracts rats, and our ground staff have to spend time clearing up the excess food deposited."
