Woman, 21, slapped with £80 on-the-spot fine for dropping cigarette in the street
A WOMAN has been hit with an £80 on-the-spot fine after dropping a cigarette in the street.
Macey Megson, 21, discarded the butt outside a shopping centre in Hull, East Yorkshire on Wednesday.
The apprentice was challenged by an enforcement officer and offered to pick up the fag end.
But she was left distraught after her offer was refused and she was issued an on the spot fixed penalty notice (FPN) as she walked into St Stephens Shopping Centre.
Macey told : "I did drop my cigarette and accidentally burnt my hand.
"I'm not usually one for littering but I did make a mistake, the woman came after me and my group of friends and asked us 'which one of you was smoking?'
Have you been fined for dropping a cigarette butt? Please email [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368
"There had been more than just me but I'm honest so I said to her that I had been so she asked me to wait while she took a few details.
"I gave her my name and address when she asked and I asked her if she was fining me or something, she told me she'd get to that later on."
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She added: "She told me she'd seen me drop a cigarette on my way into the centre
"So I said I was sorry and offered to go and pick it up and put it in the bin, she just said it was too late for that."
An enforcement office slapped Macey with an FPN for a minimum £80 fine for dropping the cigarette if she pays within 10 days.
The sum is more than Macey's weekly wage - and rises to £100 if she pays within 14 days.
I said I was sorry and offered to go and pick it up and put it in the bin, she just said it was too late for that
Macey Megson
If she fails to pay within this timeframe she could be summoned to court.
Local councils are in charge of issuing fixed penalty notices for littering and set the level of the fine.
Offenders can be fined up to £2,500 if their case is brought to a magistrates' court.
Macey feels her fine is unfair and claimed not getting a chance to clear up her litter suggests it is just a moneymaking scheme.
'PUNISHED'
She said: "The thing that really annoys me is that the cigarette never got cleared up in the end, anyway.
"I wasn't allowed to go and pick it up and the woman from the council didn't go either.
"She wasn't interested in sorting the litter out, she just wanted to make sure she go all my details so she could issue the fine.
"If I hadn't been honest, what would she have been able to do? There were a group of us and a few of us were smoking, we were in a big crowd of people all heading indoors.
It feels like I've been punished for being honest more than anything else
Macey Megson
"It feels like I've been punished for being honest more than anything else."
A spokesman for Hull City Council said: "Littering of any kind, including throwing cigarette butts onto the floor, is selfish, anti-social and disrespectful to people who throw their litter away in the proper manner. It is also very damaging to the environment.
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"More than 70 per cent of streets are affected by smoking litter, particularly at busy spots like high streets or transport hubs.
"We want our city to look its best for everyone, which is why we should all do our bit to keep it clean. People who do not dispose of their litter will be fined in an effort to deter people from littering in the future."
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