Litter picking family member fined for feeding ducks

A dad has been accused of littering and hit with a fixed penalty notice after he fed ducks in West London.

James Watson, 68, was given a £150 fixed penalty notice by Ealing Council for throwing bird feed the Metro reported on Friday, March 25.

Mr Watson claims he threw the food into the Grand Union Canal in Southall, but the ticket stated the misdemeanour occurred on a cul-de-sac three miles away.

His son Dave said: ‘I am actually a volunteer for litter picking groups in Ealing so when my dad was accused of littering I was shocked.

“I had brought him the specialised feed to make sure he was helping the birds and environment.

“It caused him a lot of stress when we knew that purpose duck food is not classed as litter.

“We tried to appeal the ticket but there isn’t actually a formal appeal process for a fixed penalty notice.

“Even though the ticket had the wrong details on, wrong accusations and wrong road, he was still expected to pay it.

“He almost gave up and just paid the fine because contesting it in court would cost more money than paying the ticket would.”

However, Ealing Council did cancel the fixed penalty notice after a review.

A council spokesperson said: “On this occasion, we appreciate that Mr Watson was feeding the ducks in the canal and not littering the towpath. We have cancelled his fixed penalty notice, and have apologised to him directly.”

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