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Grounds for a fine?
A London woman was slapped with a hefty fine for pouring a splash of her coffee down a storm drain before hopping on a bus, according to reports.
Burcu Yesilyurt made the split-second choice to empty “just a tiny little bit” of coffee from a reusable cup of joe down the drain instead of risking spilling it on her bus to work in southwest London on Oct. 10, the BBC reported.
As soon as the drop of java dribbled out, Yesilyurt was immediately swarmed by three officers at the bus stop and slapped with a £150 fine — or roughly $200 — under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which makes it illegal to dump waste in a way that could pollute land or water, including pouring liquids into street drains.
“As soon as I turned around, I noticed three men, enforcement officers, chasing me, and they stopped me immediately,” she told the outlet.
The law enforcement encounter over such a minor, unsuspecting move left Yesilyurt feeling “shaky.”
“It was quite a shock,” she said.
She hadn’t seen any signs in the area indicating that she was not allowed to dump anything into the drain, and was told by officers that she should have poured the morning brew in a nearby rubbish bin.
“It feels quite unfair. I think the fine is extreme. It’s not proportionate,” Yesilyurt said.
After reports of the incident went viral across social media — where users balked at the “ridiculous” fine — local officials decided to drop the offense on Wednesday.
The Richmond Council canceled the fine, declaring it was “likely” that Yesilyurt’s appeal would have been approved anyway, the outlet reported.
The council still maintained that the law enforcement response was “justified.”
“I’m quite happy the council recognised the sensitivity of this situation and they’ve reconsidered,” Yesilyurt said.
“I’ve not met anyone who knows it’s a criminal offence,” she added.
