A mother was issued a £150 fine for dropping a kale leaf in a trolley while collecting food for vulnerable individuals. Monica Serro, 42, was loading her Olio food collection in a Sainsbury's car park in Arnold, Nottingham, when an enforcement officer accused her of littering.
She had spent the day gathering essential food parcels from local supermarkets, which she then distributed for free from her home to those in need. The welfare officer had just returned her trolley when a large kale leaf became wedged between the metal frame last week. At that moment, an enforcement officer working for Gedling Borough Council approached her and confronted her about the loose kale, labeling it as 'food waste' and fining her £150.
The mother of one stated: 'I was collecting waste food from supermarkets with the plan that people would then come and collect the food from my house. As a volunteer, we collect the food and pass it on for free to the community. I was collecting food from Sainsbury's, but we never know the amount we're getting. As I returned, an officer from the council was there, and he walked up and said, 'You know you just littered, you left a wrapping paper in the trolley.''
After explaining the situation, the officer printed out a fine and told her: 'That's food waste, next time use a bin.' She commented: 'The whole thing was ridiculous. You're trying to reduce food waste, and then you get told you're adding to it. I didn't notice it was on the trolley. My mum told him I was a volunteer collecting food for the community. He said if I refused to provide my details, he would increase the fine. I didn't want to argue anymore; my mum was getting really upset with the whole situation. He gave me the fine and took the kale leaf and gave it to me.'
Monica immediately contacted the council, which eventually cancelled the fine on June 13 after several emails. However, she maintains that she should never have been fined in the first place and called the decision 'ridiculous.' She added: 'I noticed on the fine he put a different address down, not the Sainsbury's car park, and the reason I was fined was for throwing a cigarette to the floor. He wanted to fine me for the kale leaf, but then it implies that I was throwing a cigarette bud. I disputed the fine and told the council, asking them to look at the bodycam footage. I got zero reply. For the ticket, they just sent me an email saying they saw the footage and said there was a technical issue with the footage and that I didn't have to pay.'
Monica described the officer as a 'young lad' who she believes was 'fishing for tickets.' The council has since apologized for the blunder, citing a 'technical error.' In an email, the council's complaints team stated: 'I have reviewed the body camera footage and evidence surrounding your fixed penalty notice and apologise for the communication error with the title of the offence. This is due to a technical error, and I apologise for any distress this has caused. I have cancelled your fixed penalty notice on this occasion.'
A spokesperson for Gedling Borough Council said: 'We have investigated the incident and agree that it was not a deliberate act of littering. The fixed penalty notice issued by our contracted environmental enforcement agents was cancelled, and the recipient was contacted on the 13th June to confirm this. We apologise for any distress caused.'
