Council Secretly Snaps Pensioner Feeding Birds And Threatens Her With ?2,500 Fine

[super jumbe]

A council authority has got itself into a flap by threatening a ?2,500 fine to a pensioner for feeding some birds in her local park.

Janet Tomlinson, 72, was issued with the warning for ?littering? by East Staffordshire Borough Council, who took secret pictures of her feeding the birds at Shobnall Playing Fields in Burton-upon-Trent.

She has been feeding sparrows and blue tits in the park for the past 31 years, but the council says her activity is encouraging rats to come into the area.



Ms Tomlinson, a retired factory and pub worker, claims she was followed by council staff into the playing fields on August 24 and told she faced a fine. She says they took pictures of her feeding the birds while she was walking a friend?s dog.

She received a letter from the council saying she would be fined ?2,500 if caught feeding the birds again.

?I?m shocked to be threatened with potential legal action and a criminal record for feeding the birds,? said Ms Tomlinson.

?I?ve fed the birds for the last 31 years and never had a problem before. Surely the council has better things to do than follow me around while I?m walking in a park.?

She said a man and a woman emerged from a white van and told her they had photographic evidence of her littering.

?I was flabbergasted and at first I thought it was a joke but then they told me I could be fined up to ?2,500 if I did it in the future,? she said. ?I felt I was ambushed on my morning walk.?

She insisted rats don?t eat the bird seed she throws down.

?I love animals and have always enjoyed feeding the birds because I like to think it keeps them coming back to the park,? she added.

In a statement, the council said: ?The incident in question occurred following a complaint made to East Staffordshire Borough Council regarding bird feed being left on a grass verge in Shobnall.

?This caused concern due to the increased risk of the bird feed inadvertently encouraging rats which were soon after witnessed eating the feed left on the ground.?

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/council-secretly-snaps-pensioner-feeding-073645410.html#WRRT4rF

[super jumbe]

They are telling us to feed the birds in winter when rats go on holidays to Spain, ah just thought bread & birdseed are not litter, she should take the council's offer of a court hearing they don't have a leg to stand on!!!

[GastonJ]

So the council wants birds to starve, shouldn't the council be in court for cruelty?

TBH if two people stepped out of a white van and started to ask me my details I'd be more likely to kick the f**king living daylights out of them and wander off. If they informed me they worked for the council I'd still be inclined to tell them to do one and refuse to give them any details whatsoever, which there is no obligation to do anyway. Council jobsworths by teh sound of it.

[Meat-Head]

Do they have the photography evidence of the rats eating the leftovers, or dud they need consent from the rats before photograph

[super jumbe]

Confused, are we supposed to feed the birds at any time of the year I will raise this question to RSPCA…

[Meat-Head]

Think if you Tweet you find find RSCPA has more haters than Justin beiber and one direction put together