A distraught mum has recounted the moment she felt "like a " after being slapped with a £100 littering fine when a receipt accidentally flew out of her handbag.
Jayne Saywell, 56, was trying to lift her spirits in , south east , last Thursday following her father's death, when she experienced what she described as "a bit of a wind tunnel" outside leading to the mishap. The beauty therapist claimed she only caught a fleeting glimpse of the receipt and wasn't sure it was hers, so she didn't stop.
Moments later, an enforcement officer confronted her and issued the fine. She explained: "I saw it out of the corner of my eye and wasn't 100 per cent sure it was mine. I hadn't thought anything of it. I wasn't going to chase after someone else's rubbish and I hadn't realised it was mine. Two minutes later, an environmental enforcement officer was threatening to detain me if I didn't give him my details.
READ MORE:
"It was not a nice experience. I was quite harassed and it wasn't pleasant. It wasn't my fault, that's what got me.", I just wanted to get through my day when I was already sad and it just ruined my day completely. I offered to go pick it up, but they wouldn't let me, it is just not reasonable behaviour. It made me feel like a criminal."
The mother of two, hailing from nearby Keston, has since contested the fine, urging the council to review the footage and see that she "obviously" hadn't done it intentionally, reports . She revealed that after sharing her experience on , several others - particularly women - came forward with similar tales.
Mrs Saywell stated: "I don't ever do anything wrong; I never throw litter on the floor. I felt really wronged by it. I was so angry. It just wasn't right because I didn't throw it on the floor. It was just really unfair. It was really upsetting. It was just a horrible experience. I will pay it begrudgingly, but I just feel that it is really unfair. I was laying awake all night thinking about what I should have said in the moment."
Bromley Council has been contacted for a comment.
You may also like
Alliance with Congress in Rajasthan only if they give us two seats: RLP
How Trump is swaying Hispanic voters away from Harris
Witness claims Liam Payne suffered 'psychotic episode' before tragic hotel fall
Jonathan Selvaraj shines with strong ball striking to lead UAE charge at Nomura Cup in Vietnam
"Aaditya Thackeray puppet of urban Naxals...": Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar on Dharavi Redevelopment Project