A 70-year-old pensioner was fined £600 and banned from feeding birds on their own balcony under anti-social behaviour laws. The nearest permitted location for the pensioner to feed the birds is reportedly a nearby beach.
The widower is one of 1,500 people who have received charges under Community Protection Notice (CPN).
The sky high number of fines were issued between November 2022 and October 2023, and range from skateboarding to maintaining untidy gardens.
Both the police and councils have the power to issue the fines with the aim of tackling problems within the community, such as loud noise or other antisocial behaviour.
Community Protection Notices were introduced in 2014 as a replacement for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (Asbos) with the aim of preventing behaviour deemed detrimental to the community.
Those who breach a CPN could see an on-the-spot fine with punishments ranging from £100 to £2,500.
Data obtained by the Manifesto Club through freedom of information requests revealed that 6,133 CPNs were issued in a single year, with 98 councils issuing at least one fine between November 2022 and October 2023.
Durham Council issued 468 penalty notices, making it the highest enforcer. While many fines covered issues such as graffiti or fly-tipping, a large number were issued for minor incidents.
Authorities issued CPNs for “bees” in Bassetlaw, Nottinghamshire, while at least three councils fined residents for feeding pigeons or seagulls.
“Untidy gardens” was also a popular reason for penalising residents, as 25 councils issued harsh notices related to this.
Barking dogs, bin placement and skateboarding were among other reasons that Brits faced fines.
Josie Appleton, director of the Manifesto Club, has criticised the system, saying CPNs allow councils to “slap you with a fine without going through a court or any kind of due process”.
“A council warden could decide that your garden is a bit messy and then you have a criminally binding order which can be fined the next day,” she told The Telegraph.
