London Woman's Coffee Fine Reversed Amid Outrage Over Aggressive Enforcement
A west London resident who was fined £150 for pouring coffee grounds down a street drain has had her penalty revoked after a review by Richmond council. The woman, 32-year-old Burcu Yesilyurt from Kew, was stopped by three enforcement officers near Richmond station on October 10 and handed the fine on the spot.
Yesilyurt claims she had emptied only a small amount of leftover coffee from her reusable cup before boarding her bus, stating it was an "accident" that occurred as she turned around to board. She said there were no signs warning against pouring liquid into drains in the area, leaving her unaware that such behavior was prohibited.
The officers allegedly stopped Yesilyurt immediately and informed her that she had broken section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which prohibits disposing of waste in a way that could pollute land or water. The woman described the encounter as "quite intimidating" and said she felt shaky afterwards.
Richmond council initially defended the fine, stating it was issued "in line with its policies." However, the authority subsequently cancelled the penalty after a review. A spokesperson for the council stated that footage from the officers' body-worn cameras showed they acted professionally and were sensitive to the circumstances.
Yesilyurt had lodged a formal complaint with the council and called for clearer signage near bins and bus stops to warn residents about the rules. The woman, who believes the fine was "extreme" and "not proportionate," has welcomed the reversal of her penalty.
A west London resident who was fined £150 for pouring coffee grounds down a street drain has had her penalty revoked after a review by Richmond council. The woman, 32-year-old Burcu Yesilyurt from Kew, was stopped by three enforcement officers near Richmond station on October 10 and handed the fine on the spot.
Yesilyurt claims she had emptied only a small amount of leftover coffee from her reusable cup before boarding her bus, stating it was an "accident" that occurred as she turned around to board. She said there were no signs warning against pouring liquid into drains in the area, leaving her unaware that such behavior was prohibited.
The officers allegedly stopped Yesilyurt immediately and informed her that she had broken section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which prohibits disposing of waste in a way that could pollute land or water. The woman described the encounter as "quite intimidating" and said she felt shaky afterwards.
Richmond council initially defended the fine, stating it was issued "in line with its policies." However, the authority subsequently cancelled the penalty after a review. A spokesperson for the council stated that footage from the officers' body-worn cameras showed they acted professionally and were sensitive to the circumstances.
Yesilyurt had lodged a formal complaint with the council and called for clearer signage near bins and bus stops to warn residents about the rules. The woman, who believes the fine was "extreme" and "not proportionate," has welcomed the reversal of her penalty.
It does seem like the council overreacted a bit. But on the other hand, disposing of waste improperly can harm the environment, so yeah, maybe they did the right thing in the end... or maybe they just didn't consider all the factors? 
I dunno, I'm still kinda split on it 
, I just can't believe what's been going on in London 
! Like, back in my day, we used to just throw our coffee grounds anywhere without a care in the world 
️. And now, it's like they're fining people for doing that? £150 is crazy expensive 
! I mean, I get it, we need to take care of the environment and all that jazz 
, but can't they just put up some signs or something? It seems so obvious that pouring coffee grounds down a drain would be bad news for the environment 
.
I guess it just highlights how things have changed over the years. We used to be so much more relaxed about these kinds of things 
And yeah, no signs warning about pouring liquids into drains near bus stops... not exactly a hard habit to notice, right? 
I mean, can you believe this? Someone gets fined £150 for pouring a tiny bit of coffee grounds into a drain and now they're getting sympathy from the council? 
It's like, accidents happen, right? And those signs should be out there to warn people, not just in fancy locations. You know what would've been better? Clear signage near bins and bus stops that says "don't pour liquids here" or something. That way everyone knows and nobody gets fined for a little mistake. 
Can you believe someone got fined £150 for accidentally pouring coffee grounds down a drain? I mean, that's like getting busted for having too many memes on your phone 
! But seriously, it's kinda funny that there were no signs saying "no liquid pouring allowed" because, you know, that would just be a total buzzkill 
. Glad she got her fine reversed and can now live her best life without worrying about being a coffee grounds vigilante 
... but, like, come on council! £150 is a pretty steep fine for an accident, right? I get that they don't want people polluting the drains, but using body-worn cams to back it up? That's kinda funny 
. And what about clear signage? I mean, that's just basic courtesy 
That's like asking someone to pay for breathing! I mean, I get it, we gotta take care of our environment, but come on! It's just a small mistake. They should've given her a warning or something. 
anyway, i guess if ppl are gonna freak out over something so minor, maybe they should just chill 