A COUNCIL has backed down after one of its litter police issued a fine to a cigarette butt dropper on private land despite the owner telling them to keep off
It seems the council have given Kingdom 'powers' to issue fines on private property, unless the owners specifically tell them they cannot
That's an implied right to enter your private land and issue fines to people who are presumably your customers. No wonder some people are telling them to get stuffed
When I worked in the pubs, folk used to drop fag ends in the beer gardens all the time. It wasn't something we would have encouraged, but as they were customers, we wouldn't make an issue of it, just clean up after them
I could imagine the reaction from the customers if council enforcers came into the beer garden and started issuing fines. It would certainly be bad publicity for the business owners
Angela Collinson from Darwen was spotted dumping her fag end on the ground at the M65 Junction Four Blackburn services by an officer of Kingdom Environmental Enforcement Services .
He issued her a £75 Fixed Penalty Notice, angering her fiance Mick Riley who contacted site owners the Extra MSA Group.
It replied that the company had previously informed Blackburn with Darwen Council, who employed Kingdom to tackle littering in October, to keep off their property.
So Kingdom have already been told to stay off the property at the services, yet they were sitting there in a car waiting to fine smokers
Earlier this month it was revealed the overwhelming majority of littering fines (4,000) issued by Kingdom were for dropping cigarette ends.
Heh! I take credit for that
"My partner was smoking outside my car and stupidly dropped her cigarette end on the ground.
"When I was reversing, a red Vauxhall stopped behind me.
"A man got out and informed us that we were being fined for litter dropping
I'm not sure what to make of that. If an unmarked vehicle tried to stop me leaving a car park, it would not likely succeed.
"I emailed Extra and they said that it was their land and have previously told the council not to operate on their property and do not endorse it to issue fines on their property.
"When challenged, the council backed down and revoked the fine
"When challenged"
How many people have been wrongfully fined for dropping litter in these premises?"
Indeed. People should not be dropping litter in the first place, but what we have here is an unscrupulous company who only target smokers, hiding in cars on premises they have been told to keep off, in the hopes of issuing a fine and getting away with it
To me, that behaviour in a free society, is a lot more serious than dropping a fag butt
Blackburn with Darwen Council Environment boss Cllr Jim Smith said: "The officer made a mistake.I apologise to the couple but hope Miss Collinson will dispose of her cigarette butts properly in future."
Cllr Smith does not have a bad word to say about Kingdom, as hiring them was his baby. He's not replied to any of my emails on the subject and he lied in the article about Kingdom targeting smokers, by saying most people were in favour of what they are doing, when they clearly aren't
So he made a half arsed apology to the woman who was fined, while at the same time speaking about her as though she were a naughty child, and then he had this to say about the company that chose to exercise their property rights and tell Kingdom to stay away:
Cllr Smith said:"Extra MSA cannot tip in and out of the council's services. If someone fly-tips a load on rubbish on their property in future, the company will have to clear it up as they have asked us to keep off their land."
That is just childish in the extreme. MSA have not told the council to keep off their land, they've told a heavy handed, bullying private contractor to stay off their land. I'm sure they still expect the council to carry out any activity for which they are paying
And I'm sure that MSA is very pleased to know, that sending the cigarette gestapo to fine your customers on your property, is a council 'service' they are offering
This childish response from Cllr Jim Smith says all we need to know about the man
And his beloved Kingdom Environmental Services
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