Woman fined £150 for pouring coffee down a drain

A woman in London has been fined £150 for pouring her coffee down a drain.

While you might expect pints or coffees to cost close to that much in the capital these days anyway, Burcu Yesilyurt was left ruing her mistake after she picked up the hefty fine while waiting for the bus.

Despite nearly all of us normal folks struggling for cash at the moment, enforcement officers are rarely in the forgiving mood if they catch you doing something you shouldn't, especially if you have the cheek to have a second coca cola in a restaurant.

Although fines for things like taking your kids out of school or dodgy driving are to be expected, there are also laws that plenty of us aren't aware of, with the 1986 law still stating that it's illegal to handle a salmon suspiciously. The more you know.

When it comes to throwing things in the bin or recycling, most sensible folks know what to do, and Ms Yesilyurt certainly didn't think she was doing anything wrong when she chucked the last bit of her coffee down a drain on the street. After all, that's probably where the liquid would have ended up anyway.

Even if your coffee tastes bad, you'll have to keep it in the cup before throwing it away (Getty Stock)

But she was stopped almost immediately by enforcement officers near the bus station in Richmond and handed a fine under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Ms Yesilyurt said: "I noticed my bus was approaching, so I just poured the leftover bit. It wasn't much, it was just a tiny little bit.

"As soon as I turned around, I noticed three men, enforcement officers, chasing me, and they stopped me immediately."

The protection act makes it illegal to dispose of waste in a way that is likely to pollute water or land, and naturally that includes throwing away coffee in a drain, even if it's just the last bit.

Although, she is yet to pay the fine and has complained the council, they suggest they won't be budging after body cam footage found that the enforcement officers acted 'professionally and objectively'.

These things will drain your money too if you're not careful (Getty Stock)

The Richmond Council spokesperson said: "Nobody likes receiving a fine, and we always aim to apply our policies fairly and with understanding.

"We are committed to protecting Richmond's waterways and keeping our borough's streets clean and safe.

"Enforcement action is only taken when necessary, and residents who feel a fine has been issued incorrectly can request a review."

So, the next time you have any liquids on the street, make sure you finish it off rather than chucking it on the street, otherwise it might not just be your drink that goes down the drain.