A mother-of-three is fighting the council which fined her £200 for accidentally dropping two McDonald’s fries – even though a seagull ate them.
Jacqui Clarke, 34, was enjoying a quarter-pounder meal with her husband Neil looking out over the beach when she was ambushed by an “environmental warden”.
Ms Clarke said the black-uniformed officer emerged from between two parked cars where he was lying in wait and fined her on May 8.
Puzzled, Mrs Clarke, who works as a dog walker in Sheerness Kent, pointed out that a nearby hungry seagull had swooped in and swallowed the offending chips.
But the officer insisted she was wrong and handed her the fine which Ms Clarke appealed on May 20, explaining she needed the money to feed her children.
Mrs Clarke said: “It was strange.” ‘He was very arrogant about it…He really didn’t know what he had done wrong.’
Jacqui Clarke holding the fine she received after a seagull ate two of her crisps
Mrs Clarke recreates posing scene that angered environmental official
“While I was eating my quarter-pound meal, I accidentally dropped a couple of crisps on the floor and a seagull came and ate them, as they do,” Mrs Clarke added.
‘Then, about thirty seconds later, this environmental officer came out from behind the car.
“We didn’t see any proper identification, he just showed it very quickly and wouldn’t let us look at it before saying we couldn’t do that with the chips and that we had just littered.”
The penalty notice said the Swale council officer “witnessed the lady feeding chips to the birds, which she had reason to believe was an offence”.
The £200 fine can be reduced to £150 if paid within 14 days.
But Mrs Clarke decided to oppose the fine, arguing: ‘I am appealing the £200 fine because I don’t have the money in my bank account to pay it.
“I really can’t afford it, it would mean I can’t feed my children for a week.”
A council spokesperson said: “We are currently reviewing the matter and cannot comment on an active investigation.”