I was slapped with a £150 fine for feeding ducks – they waited until I got home to punish me, I’m furious
A PENSIONER was left fuming after being fined £150 for feeding ducks.
William Varnham, 66, received a letter a few days after his visit to a local park accusing him of throwing crumbs into the lake.
He had visited Watermead Park in Leicester with his disabled aunt, 99. They fed the ducks with bird seed from a plastic container and went back to their van.
But the letter said the council had a problem with “huge amounts of food” being offered to the birds and was fining him to stop “incorrect behaviour”.
Furious Mr Varnham told : "I had been preparing to be taken to court over this.
"It was one of the worst weeks of my life - I had sleepless nights.
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"My wife and I are retired, we're in a cost-of-living crisis, I couldn't afford to pay £150.
"I was so worried that my 99-year-old aunt offered to pay the fine."
And he insisted he never did anything wrong, saying: "We did what we usually do. We drove to the park and got a disabled bay which was yards from the designated bird-feeding area.
“I fed the birds with proper bird feed which I bring from my home, walked back to my van with my plastic container and then sat with my wife and aunt and enjoyed a cup of tea while we watched the ducks."
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He said he saw a park warden nearby, who never approached him directly about the issue.
He added: "What I think happened is that the park warden saw some bread or something on the floor, saw me and my empty container and put two and two together.
"But if he believed he had seen me littering, why didn't he approach me there and then - rather than send me a fixed penalty notice? How many other people will this happen to?"
The fine was cancelled when Mr Varnham appealed.
A council spokesman said: "Mr Varnham’s fine was cancelled on appeal and we apologise for any distress caused.
"We have a problem with huge amounts of food being put down for birds on several of our parks, and we have signs in place across our parks – including at Watermead - advising people of the impact this has and warning them they may face a fixed penalty fine if they do so.
"Not only does over-feeding affect the ecosystem of the park, it also attracts rats, and our ground staff have to spend time clearing up the excess food deposited."
