To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Woman Left 'Shocked' By £150 Fine After Pigeon Ate Dropped Sandwich

Woman Left 'Shocked' By £150 Fine After Pigeon Ate Dropped Sandwich

Leonie Ormsby said the piece of sandwich was the same size as a pound coin

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Pigeons are pesky little things, aren't they? They will eat absolutely anything, sometimes snatching it right out of your hand.

Don't talk to Leonie Ormsby about them though, after a pigeon gobbled up a piece of her tuna baguette from the floor - landing her with a £150 ($200) fine.

MEN Media

Leonie said the tiny piece of bread was about the size of a pound coin and remains adamant that she dropped it by accident.

The 22-year-old, from Droylsden, Greater Manchester, said she sat down to eat her Greggs steak bake with her boyfriend, who ordered the tuna baguette, on Monday.

After she finished the steak bake, she had a bite of her partner's sandwich before a small piece of it dropped to the ground.

MEN Media

She explained: "I had a bite, then dropped it on the floor at the side of my foot.

"I dropped one bit of food, I didn't think it was bad. It was the size of a pound coin. I have never littered in my life. We were sitting having a nice time. There was no warning.

"There was no one around me. The pigeons flocked around but it was the tiniest bit. It was gone within one peck. It was the end of the baguette. There was no filling in it.

"These two officers came over. They said, 'I have seen you feeding the pigeons.' He said, 'You are on camera.' I said, 'I don't want to give details.'

"He said, 'If you don't give your details it will go to court.' I'm going to uni, I can't have anything on my record."

MEN Media

Leonie said she hasn't paid the fine and plans to appeal it, adding: "It's just deflating, £150 is a lot of money. It's not a joke when you get fined this much money.

"I can't really afford that. If they warned me, I wouldn't have done it again. I nearly started crying. I have never been in trouble.

"It seems crazy, you feel a bit attacked. I thought, 'What is my mum going to say?' I can't believe it."

MEN Media

However, the council has stood by the fine.

Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, said: "Feeding the pigeons is littering, plain and simple. Clear signs are in place in Piccadilly Gardens to advertise this fact.

"While we take no pleasure in handing out Fixed Penalty Notices to offenders, it's extremely important that people understand that they should not be feeding the birds in this way.

"Illegally dropping food for the pigeons is bad for the local environment and can also be harmful to the birds, as many items intended for human consumption are not suitable for them to eat."

Featured Image Credit: MEN Media

Topics: Community, Animals