A 70-year-old man was fined £600 for feeding pigeons from his balcony, sparking outrage.
Durham: A 70-year-old man got a £600 fine for feeding pigeons from his balcony. He was also banned from doing it again. The law says he can only feed birds at a nearby beach.
This man is one of 1,500 people fined under a Community Protection Notice. These fines have been given out for various reasons since November 2022.
Fines range from skateboarding to having messy gardens. Both police and councils can issue these fines to tackle community issues like noise and other bad behavior.
Community Protection Notices started in 2014 to replace Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. They aim to stop actions that harm the community.
If someone breaks a CPN, they can get fined on the spot. Fines can be between £100 and £2,500.
Data shows that 6,133 CPNs were issued in one year. Ninety-eight councils gave out at least one fine during the same period.
Durham Council was the strictest, issuing 468 fines. Many were for serious issues like graffiti, but a lot were for minor things.
Some councils even fined people for “bees” in Nottinghamshire. Others penalized residents for feeding pigeons or seagulls.
“Untidy gardens” were also a common reason for fines, with 25 councils issuing notices for this.
Other reasons for fines included barking dogs, where to place bins, and skateboarding.
Josie Appleton from the Manifesto Club criticized this system. She said councils can fine people without going through a court.
She explained that a council worker could decide your garden is messy, and you could get fined the next day.
