Fined For Throwing Apple Core

Cashbereft

Just a thought. Apple core = seeds = either; small animal food, or at best, new apple trees=apples and carbon offset against the journey along the dual carriageway, by growing one or maybe more trees.??

tcall

Cashbereft wrote: »

Just a thought. Apple core = seeds = either; small animal food, or at best, new apple trees=apples and carbon offset against the journey along the dual carriageway, by growing one or maybe more trees.??

So u agree, it shouldnt have been chucked out the window into the middle of a dual carriageway where there's no chance of it either growing into another tree, or being food for anything other than animals that get run over in the process of trying to reach it

kr15snw

The simple answer to this is the law states you cant litter. She has littered, so she should pay.

Ellie2758

Well, I dont agree with chucking stuff from a moving vehicle. However, I do think that a £75 fine for chucking an apple core into long grass is OTT. However, I have one better for you. Whilst on holiday in Sussex about 10 years ago we were stood at the side of the road eating bananas (me, OH and kids). Well, you know those stringy bits you get on a banana? I chucked one in the hedge and a snotty-nosed old bat stopped her car, reversed and had a right go at me.

ohmsoft

I once spoke to a LA officer about something very similar (following a newspaper article about someone getting a fine for a piece of tomato falling out of their BLT sandwich!), I thought it was silly (and so did the LA guy as in this case it seemed to be accidental).

However, he did make the valid point that i may only be one small tomato (or apple in this case) but if everyone took the same attitude there wouldnt be any fields etc, just compost mounds everywhere!

Composting is good but it needs to be done in the right places.

And on the vermin note, i'm sure that people droping food (mainly kebabs!) around my flat has caused our problem with cockroaches.

£75 too much?, maybe, but if thats what the elected council have decieded I guess its one for the ballot box.

(oh I once got stung with a £80 fine for droping a ciggy but on the floor so know how you feel! (and yes I know theyre not bio'd) - did get it reduced for paying in 14 days)

Yogibear

throwing things from car windows is dangerous, apple core or not,£75 seems a lot but it probably was a fixed penalty,if she doesnt think it fair appeal.

edda

I now think twice about opening my car window (as a passenger) so I can flick a spider out.

If I do, I make sure no one is behind the car - who's to say what was thrown out if I'm accused of littering?

As a driver, I wait until I can stop the car safely. Isn't it a little ridiculous how you can be made to feel a potential law breaker?

marleyboy

I dont throw my apple cores out of my window into the long grass in my garden, mainly because I dont want to go around my garden plucking up apple cores. Biodegradable or not, its littering. If I take my dog to the park and he squats by a tree to squeeze one out, am I not obliged, for the hygiene and safety of everybody else, to clean it up, or should I simply preach to the LA officer if I am caught ignoring it, "Oh its ok Officer, its Bio degradable".?

She committed an offence, knowingly, the only thing she didnt know, was she got caught. If she is not happy with the outcome, the lesson learned is simple......dont do it again.

Horasio

JoanneJ wrote: »

Cannot find any other reference to this via the Search so apologies if already covered [ref to thread if possible, please].

My neice has received a letter from LA saying one of their officers saw the driver of her car throwing an "apple core" from the vehicle whilst driving on a dual carriageway.

My neice knows she did this but she considered as the item was only a core, was biodegradable and was aimed at the grassed central lane that it would just decompose and not be a littering offence; since she never litters, nor has ever done.

The fine of £75 that seems set to be levied seems very severe. Surely the letter serving as a first caution would have totally altered her behaviour but she is not given that opportunity, and her local councillor says the fine can be appealed against but does not hold much hope of quashing.

It seems that the officer's word against ANYONE else is ALWAYS taken, without any corroborative evidence [photos etc] needed to be presented.

Is this fair?

Any advice appreciated.

Whilst biodegradable, it was thrown on a fast road and could hit another vehicle. That is potentially dangerous.

gregg1

CCStar wrote: »

Whilst biodegradable, it was thrown on a fast road and could hit another vehicle. That is potentially dangerous.

Quite right. Basically she was eating an apply whilst driving on a fast road, then managed to lob the core out of the window. She needs to stop whinging, pay up and make an effort to pay more attention to her driving in future.