Brit mum ‘fined £50 as baby drops banana’

LONDON - A mother has claimed that she was shocked when North East Lincolnshire Council slapped her with a 50-pound fine when her toddler dropped the end of a banana out of his pram.

Kirsty Allen, 29, of Oxford Street, Grimsby, said she was stopped by a council warden as she was walking with 16-month-old Lennon.

She said she was issued the ticket after the warden saw the piece of fruit fall out of the tot’s pram.

“He loves bananas and I have given him one to eat to settle him down. He must have finished eating it and left the end of it on the blanket,” the Telegraph quoted Allen as saying.

“It rolled off the side of the pram and landed in a big puddle.

“I didn’t really think of it as litter as I thought it would either be eaten by birds or just decompose,” added.

However, the council disputed Allen’s version of events.

John Waite, the council’s interim environmental enforcement manager, said: “It is standard procedure to issue a fixed penalty notice to anybody who is caught littering.

“This incident was identified as an offence within the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Environment Act 2005 as the resident was caught discarding the skin of a banana.

“The offence was acknowledged by Mrs Allen and the council’s community wardens spoke to her about the consequences of waste being discarded.

“The council and its partners are working very hard to improve the quality of life across North East Lincolnshire.

“The stance of zero tolerance fines for littering will continue in a bid to improve public confidence and restore pride in our local communities and neighborhoods,” he added. (ANI)