Woman fined £150 for pouring coffee down drain

A woman says she was "shocked" when she was fined £150 for tipping the remnants of her coffee down a road gully in west London.

Burcu Yesilyurt, who lives in Kew, said she thought she was acting "responsibly" when she poured out a small amount of coffee from her reusable cup down the drain rather than risk spilling it on the bus she was about to catch to work.

But to her surprise, she was then stopped by three enforcement officers at the bus stop near Richmond station and fined under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Richmond-upon-Thames Council cancelled the fine on Wednesday afternoon despite initially saying it was issued in line with its policies.

Before the council cancelled the fine, Ms Yesilyurt told BBC News: "I noticed my bus was approaching, so I just poured the leftover bit. It wasn't much, it was just a tiny little bit.

"As soon as I turned around, I noticed three men, enforcement officers, chasing me, and they stopped me immediately."

Ms Yesilyurt said she thought they were going to speak with her about an issue with the bus when she was stopped on 10 October, and had "no clue" pouring liquid into a road gully was "illegal".

She said the encounter was "quite intimidating" and she was left feeling "shaky" as she went into work.

"It was quite a shock," she said.

Ms Yesilyurt added she had asked the enforcement officers if there were any signs or information warning people of the law but received no response.

On Wednesday, an email sent from the council at 15:00 BST to Ms Yesilyurt, and seen by the BBC, said: "I can advise that on review the Fixed Penalty Notice has been cancelled.

"Please accept my apologies for any upset or inconvenience this has caused you."

Earlier, a Richmond Council spokesperson said body-worn camera footage had been reviewed and they did "not agree that officers behaved aggressively".

"Footage confirms the officers acted professionally and were sensitive to the circumstances," they added.

Ms Yesilyurt said when she asked the officers what she was supposed to have done with the remaining coffee, she was told to pour it in a nearby bin.

She said she had been trying to act responsibly and avoid littering.

"It feels quite unfair. I think the fine is extreme. It's not proportionate," she added.

Ms Yesilyurt has called for the law to be made clearer with signs near bins and bus stops.

Before the council cancelled the fine, she had appealed it and issued a complaint with the authority.

The council spokesperson had earlier said: "Nobody likes receiving a fine, and we always aim to apply our policies fairly and with understanding.

"We are committed to protecting Richmond's waterways and keeping our borough's streets clean and safe.

"Enforcement action is only taken when necessary, and residents who feel a fine has been issued incorrectly can request a review."