A council has threatened Britons with up to five years in prison for feeding birds.
In Kilburn, north west London, notices from Brent Council threatened that residents and tourists feeding birds could face an unlimited fine or five years in prison.
The signs were written in English and five other south Asian languages, which warned feeding birds was a “crime against our streets”.
Spotted in Kilburn’s leafy Christchurch Avenue, the notices stated the “penalty” if caught, meant “up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine” and the “reward” of not feeding our feathery friends was “cleaner streets”.
One wildlife rescue volunteer told the Daily Mail the signs were “shockingly heavy-handed and clearly illegal”.
The volunteer continued by saying the notices were “morally wrong”.
In the UK’s judicial system, crimes that usually warrant a five-year prison sentence are certain firearm offences, grievous bodily harm and serious illegal drug supply.
The council have since apologised for the blatantly incorrect warning signs, saying the notices are two years old and they would not communicate with Brent residents like that now.
Brent Council have apologised for the signs, saying they would not communicate with residents like that now
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Michael Britton, a volunteer with Pigeon Recovery and London Wildlife Protection, said the signs were “outrageous” which left him “absolutely shocked and dismayed”.
Suggesting the council should have legal action against them, Mr Britton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I firmly believe that threatening five years in prison or an unlimited fine is both disgraceful, shockingly heavy-handed and clearly illegal.
“I personally find the signs bullying, dictatorial, threatening and racist – targeting and scapegoating specific cultures for “committing crimes against our streets.”
The signs were in place as the council had established a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which disallows the feeding of wild animals in open spaces.
Feeding wild animals is not universally illegal, but local bylaws can prohibit or heavily restrict people from giving food to animals
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Hoping the PSPO would reduce antisocial behaviour – it is unknown whether that was from humans or birds – and hygiene issues, the council’s documents said feeding animals can only result in a £1,000 fine, but failure to pay could lead to legal action.
Labour councillor Krupa Sheth, cabinet member in Brent Council for public realm and enforcement, apologised for the confusion created by the two-year-old sign.
She said: “’While Brent takes a tough approach to environmental offences, the wording does not reflect how we would communicate with residents today.
“What has not changed is our determination to keep our neighbourhoods clean and safe.”
She continued to refer to the council’s reduction in fly tipping, which has fallen by more than half, and how they’ve been dishing out five times more penalties for littering.
The council cabinet member said there is a “zero-tolerance approach to environmental crime”.
Feeding wild animals is not universally illegal, but local bylaws, such as the one in Brent, can prohibit or heavily restrict people from giving food to animals.
Experiencing the legal force behind feeding wildlife was a student who went to social media to share how she’d received a £100 fine for giving pigeons some bread whilst on a walk in Kilburn last month.
She wrote on Reddit she had gone on a stroll on a sunny day and took a piece of bread to feed the birds as well.
However, she was approached by two enforcement officers who issued her a fine of £100, referring to a small sign on a 7ft pole in the distance, explaining the ban on feeding wildlife.
She said: “I’m 5ft tall with autism, I can barely make eye contact with the world… how was I supposed to make out that sign?
“Also, isn’t this a steep fine for a first-time ‘offence’? £100 is a month’s groceries for me.”
Apparently, the enforcement officer told her to call the council the next day to explain her situation, to which she wrote she would.