Unless they’re in a salad, and sometimes not even then, people usually don’t like chewing on leaves. So when one flew into the mouth of 86-year-old Roy Marsh while he was walking outside in England, he naturally spit it out.
To Marsh’s surprise, the spit earned him a fine for littering. According to the BBC, the fine was about $330.
“As I was sitting there, a gale blew a big reed into my mouth,” Marsh tells the BBC. “I spat it out and just as I got up to walk away two guys [enforcement officers] came up to me.”
Marsh adds, “It was all unnecessary and all out of proportion.”
After an appeal, the fine was lowered to about $200. Marsh ended up paying the lower amount.
Lincolnshire County Council member Adrian Findley says Marsh’s experience reflects the “heavy handed” nature of litter enforcement in his community.
“They [enforcement officers] are taking it too far,” Findley says. “If I came here on holiday and was given a … fine I wouldn’t want to risk coming back.”
“There needs to be discretion about how they [enforcement officers] issue fines,” Findley continues. “We can’t expect elderly people to chase crisp packets down the road if it’s windy. If it looks like a genuine accident then give people opportunity to apologise and pick it up.”