UK Council Imposes Rs 10,000 Fine On 97-Year Old Woman For Feeding Pigeons

A pensioner named Anne Seago was threatened with a fine of £100 (Rs 10,533) after a neighbour complained that pigeons and seagulls were a plague, as was reported. The municipal council of Fylde informed Anne Seago that she is in danger of committing a “criminal offence” after the retired music teacher, her son and two neighbours were accused of ‘anti-social behaviour.’ But Seago, who has lived in her house in Staining near Blackpool since 1982, says that it is a pleasure for her to sit in her conservatory and watch as sparrows and robins eat seeds in her birdhouse. Her son Alan, 77, fears that the stress of the situation could end up for her. Seago has since received support from deputies and activists after the municipal council threatened her with a fine of £100 (Rs 10,533) for feeding the birds in her garden.

The municipal council insists that he acted correctly by sending a warning letter and said that he could take further steps. He added, “Non-compliance with a Community Protection Order (CPN) is a criminal offence.” A violation of the instruction can lead to a maximum sentence of five years in prison and an unlimited fine, reports MailOnline.

Now, MPs and activists have asked the municipal council of Fylde in Lancashire to give in and instead try to talk to the bird-loving residents. Dennis Read from the Silver Voices campaign group described the comments of the municipal council as ‘absolutely ridiculous’ and said that this was ‘in no way criminal behaviour.’

Tory MP Sir John Hayes added that it seems ‘strange’ to interfere in what Seago does ‘in a private area.’ The municipal council of Fylde sent the warning letter to Mrs Seago, her son and the neighbours Ian Wright (67) and his wife Kath (66). The municipal council insists that he acted correctly and that ‘hundreds’ of birds around their houses and in the area have been spotted as sleeping places.

The Council said it had received accusations of ‘excessive bird feeding’ from four people since 2016, and officials who visited the street had seen ‘hundreds of pigeons’ near the properties. He added, “This has led to the accumulation of bird food, which can attract vermin and spread diseases and to the accumulation of bird droppings, which can cause harassment and property damage.”