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Mother wins support in duck fine battle
Monday 16th November 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
A mother fined for feeding the ducks in a Black Country campaign has been backed in her fight – by another wildlife lover who fell victim to the same rules.
Vanessa Kelly, aged 26, has vowed to contest the penalty after she was fined £75 by a council warden for littering by feeding the ducks with her 17-month-old son Harry in Smethwick Hall Park last Tuesday.
Fellow park-goer Ronald Burford today revealed he was also handed a £75 ticket for littering in January after throwing bread to the birds in the same park.
The 57-year-old semi-retired engineer, of Old Chapel Road, Smethwick, reluctantly stumped up the cash but said today he agreed the rules were “outrageous”.
He insisted he would be seeking a refund himself if Miss Kelly was successful in her appeal.
“I’ve taken scraps of food for the birds over the years and the same as her when I saw the warden there I didn’t pay any attention,” he said.
“He came up and told me not to throw any more bread, I said ‘fair enough’ and thought that was the end of it, then he stood there and gave me a ticket.
“I can understand there’s a rat problem but I feel they are targeting the wrong people.
“Any stuff I have ever taken there was also always eaten immediately by the birds, but some people use the park as a dumping ground,” he said.
“The pond is awash with rubbish, it smells terrible, and I think victimising a few people throwing a bit of bread is ridiculous.
“People dumping sacks of food there is a different story, but to be standing there tossing a few bits of bread is a tradition in this country and it gets people interested in wildlife.”
Campaign group Big Brother Watch, part of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, has also pledged its support to Miss Kelly’s appeal.
Campaign director Alex Deane, a barrister and formerly Tory leader David Cameron’s chief of staff, said: “I am proud to be helping Miss Kelly in her fight against this ludicrous fine.”
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what is this council,s motto?
if you are having fun . you had better not be!
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Whatever will Sandwell Council think of next!
Do SMBC plan to fine their own refuse collectors? On collection days the operatives cannot find the strength to lift a bag of rubbish from the floor, no they drag it, splitting the bag in the process, leaving a trail of rubbish behind.
What happened to our street cleansing? Walk around the streets of Sandwell and see the piles of rubbish collecting on disused areas.
Left for months on end to accumulate, with no worries about attracting vermin.
Get a grip Sandwell Council and tackle real problems!!!
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As ridiculous as this Councils actions are I believe that it does not take the cake! .. apparently there is a municipality in The US .. Ohio that has a byelaw that prohibits the Fishing for Whales on Sunday and you can be issued a substantial fine for doing so
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my local park sells duck food to feed them, but i still seen others feeding bread same as i do on an occasion. think they need to start worrying about cleaning the lake and the ducks health rather than fining people who care
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Caution: over-feeding your council may make them fat, arrogant and very, very greedy.
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Funny..I don’t see any wardens, CSO’s or even police officers walking around Tipton once the station knocks off. Yet the place seems awash with yobs and litter louts. Hmm.
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The real question here is the incorrect signing in the park area. A sign which suggests that one should not “overfeed” does not read “will be issued with a littering fine”. Until such time as this Council ( rather an inappropriate word for this lot as it suggests the application and effusion of wisdom) changes its warning signs, it is questionable if fines can,let alone should, be applied.
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In the same week a man was fined £20 for molesting a 13 year old girl. There is something very wrong with our justice system at the moment and having voted for labour all my life I don’t think I will anymore if this is their justice ( stinks of Stalinist ideology!)
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I wonder if this officer would have done the same
if mrs Kelly was feeding the ducks with a six foot man. i bet not ?
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On page 7 of the E & S after this story was printed it was made clear that the local residents were suffering a problem with rats which was being made worse becouse of the situation at the park. Altough I feel sorry for the people concerned the problem needs to be adressed. Signes DO need to clearly state that feeding the ducks is an offence and that a fine will be payable. Today I saw yet another car pull up, leave its engine running and a person emptied a full carrier bag full of bread onto the edge of the pavement. Presumably they live too far away to walk to the park so leave the peices for the local residents like myself to pick up.This situation needs to be addressed.
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This is just typical of the state this country is getting into under a Stalinist government. The local electors have the solution – remove the clowns who dream up this nonsense at the next election.
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Well I’m sorry, but if some moron hands me a ticket for feeding ducks in the park do you think I’m going to tell him/her my name and address, because I’m the honest law-abiding citizen they want me to be? I do not think so. So how are they going to get me to pay to pay the fine? I just hope the warden can swim.
Dave.
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Do you go around feeding rats as well?
Would you complain if you were asked to fund the Council’s work in getting rid of rats?
Of course you would.
Why, therefore, are you all objecting to cracking down on throwing bread, which simply attracts rats and makes more costs for the Council?
Is it because, by any chance, you have no clue about anything, and just like to jump and shout like little children with their knickers in a twist?
There are no ducks in this park, because the Canada Geese have scared them off.
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When I go to the park there’s hardly a crumb left..the birds make sure of that (Geese and ducks). I would like to point out, Conner, that you seemed to have avoided bringing mentioning the fact this lady and her young kid were handed a fine, a significant one at that, for the “crime” of feeding animals. You don’t seemed to mention the support this case has, either, or whether or not you would you be willing to fine someone. As for ducks vs. Geese – that’s the law of nature :)
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Have designated food services, at affordable prices. You take your kid, pay a small fee, and the proceeds go towards wildlife conservation. No need for mess or little Hitler’s paid by the hour.
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13 I received my ticket for feeding ducks, not rats or Canada Geese. Also, I didn’t used to just throw my old stale unwanted bread to them. I have been a member of the RSPB for 33 years and I think I know a bit about feeding birds. As for rats, they are everywhere in Sandwell not only in this park . I might add that there are still ducks there too. I am not jumping about like a child and I thought I was already funding the councils work in getting rid of rats by paying my council tax? I just think a little common sense could be displayed in the situation here. Target the people who are dumping bags full of stale unwanted food not people who get a bit of enjoyment from sensible feeding of birds, especially young children. The wildlife in urban areas is under intense pressure as it is and needs a little help. The world would be a much less interesting place without our feathered friends don’t you think?
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I honestly don’t know how this council can claim to be looking after wildlife, given the way this area has been decimated by faceless housing estates and baby-booming populations. Hmm..let’s not rock that boat, I guess. Bad for the votes.
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