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Woman Handed Fine Worth More Than Week's Wage After Dropping Cigarette

Woman Handed Fine Worth More Than Week's Wage After Dropping Cigarette

Apprentice Macey Megson was fined a minimum of £80 if paid within 10 days

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

A young apprentice has been issued a fine worth more than a week's wage for dropping a cigarette on the floor - despite offering to pick it up and put it in the bin.

Macey Megson, 21, is an apprentice training at Chamber Training Humber in Hull for which she receives £60 ($80) a week.

Now she has been left distraught after she dropped a cigarette butt outside a shopping centre and was challenged by an enforcement officer.

Despite offering to clear up her mess, she was issued an on the spot fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £80 ($110) if she pays within 10 days.

After that, the fine rises to £100 ($138), but must be paid within 14 days.

If there is still no payment made, the notice threatens that she will be summoned to court.

The council has said littering of any kind, including throwing cigarette butts onto the floor, is selfish, anti-social and disrespectful.

Hull Live/MEN Media

Macey said: "It was raining and really busy as a lot of people were heading inside, 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?'

"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.

"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."

Macey says she feels that fine is unfair and claimed the fact that she wasn't given the chance to clear up her litter suggests it is just a money-making scheme.

Stock image.
Kim Christensen/Alamy Stock Photo

She went on to add: "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."

A spokesperson 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.

"More than 70 percent 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."

Featured Image Credit: Hull Live/MEN Media

Topics: UK Community, Community, UK