A woman has been left “scared to go out” after being fined £150 for feeding birds while eating near a city park.
Sam Ekins and her partner had travelled to Manchester on Monday to mark her birthday when the incident occurred outside McDonald’s near Piccadilly Gardens.
The couple, who recently relocated to Huddersfield, were sharing their meal when a pigeon approached them and they decided to offer the bird a small portion of their food.
“It was our first time out and we don’t know the area,” the 23-year-old told the Manchester Evening News, “we were sitting eating, when a pigeon came up to us so we gave it some of the food we were eating. I thought it was just a normal thing to do”.
Shortly after the pair fed the bird, two enforcement officers approached and questioned whether they understood that dropping food on the ground constituted an offence.
“I tried to explain that we were new to the area. There were no signs around, no warning, no anything to indicate that we weren’t supposed to feed the birds,” she said.
Ms Ekins initially believed she would receive only a verbal caution, however, the officers then requested her identification before informing her she would be issued with an on-the-spot penalty.
She maintains there were no visible warnings about the prohibition.
The woman was fined £150 for the offence
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GETTY
The charge recorded against her was for “discarding food”, carrying a £150 fine.
“As there were two of us, he said he would let us off with just the one fine,” she said.
Although the couple are pursuing an appeal, they have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the cost of the penalty.
Ms Ekins explained their household currently depends on a single wage, with her partner unable to work due to disability and relying on benefits.
“We are only really living on one working income at the minute and because we recently moved, we’re struggling,” she said.
“My partner cant work because of their disability and are relying on my income and any sort of benefit we can get to help with their disability, but that’s supposed to go on things like mobility aid and medications”.
The experience has left her reluctant to return to the city centre, saying: “I’m scared to go out in Manchester now because I feel like I’m going to break a law that I don’t even know about.”
Manchester Council stated that discarding rubbish, including food items, falls under littering regulations, with enforcement officers authorised to issue fixed penalty notices when they witness such offences.
A council spokesman confirmed that signage warning against feeding pigeons has been erected in certain locations across the city.
The authority added that Ms Ekins had been in contact with their customer services department following the incident.
“Since receiving the Fixed Penalty Notice, Ms Ekins has contacted the Customer Services team and we can confirm that the matter has been placed on hold, so her case and circumstances can be fully considered,” the spokesman said.
The council noted that such littering attracts vermin and damages public spaces.