Mother fined £50 'after toddler dropped banana from pram'

Mother fined £50 'after toddler dropped banana from pram'

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 9:53 PM on 17th February 2010

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A mother was issued with a £50 fine when her toddler dropped the end of a banana out of his pram, she claimed today.

Kirsty Allen, 29, said she was appalled by the fine issued by North East Lincolnshire Council.

The mother claimed she was hit with the fine after she was stopped by a council warden while walking with 16-month-old Lennon.

She said she was given the ticket after the warden saw the piece of fruit fall out of the youngster's pram.

Mrs Allen, from Grimsby, told the Grimsby Telegraph: 'He loves bananas and I have given him one to eat to settle him down.

'He must have finished eating it and left the end of it on the blanket. It rolled off the side of the pram and landed in a big puddle.

'I didn't really think of it as litter as I thought it would either be eaten by birds or just decompose,' she told the paper.

The council disputed Mrs Allen's version of events.

John Waite, the council's interim environmental enforcement manager, said: 'It is standard procedure to issue a fixed penalty notice to anybody who is caught littering.

'This incident was identified as an offence within the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Environment Act 2005 as the resident was caught discarding the skin of a banana.

'The offence was acknowledged by Mrs Allen and the council's community wardens spoke to her about the consequences of waste being discarded.

'The council and its partners are working very hard to improve the quality of life across North East Lincolnshire.

'The stance of zero tolerance fines for littering will continue in a bid to improve public confidence and restore pride in our local communities and neighbourhoods.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1251716/Mother-fined-50-toddler-dropped-banana-pram.html#ixzz0fpprq9Sl