Brent Council's Bird Feeding Fine Fiasco

0:00On March 12, residents in Brent, a London burrow, got a shock from council signs warning that feeding birds could land them up to five years in. Prison, or an unlimited fine, the notices called it a crime against the streets and appeared in English plus five South Asian languages along Christchurch Avenue in Kilburn. The signs turned out to be wrong. As the council's actual public space protection order only allows fines up to 1,000 pounds for feeding wild, animals in parks and open spaces. Mitzica down on mass from droppings and anti-social behavior, these two-year-old signs don't match current rules. Wild by volunteers called the warnings outrageous and heavy-handed, comparing the prison threats of penalties for serious violent crimes. One rescuer even labeled them bullying and potentially illegal, aimed at certain communities. A student recently learned the hard way, getting hit with a 100 pound fine for tossing bread to pigeons in a park. She missed a tiny, high up sign with icons and said it wiped out a month's groceries,

1:03especially tough for their autism. The council apologized for the confusion, stressing their zero tolerance on environmental issues has slashed fly tipping by more than half from over, 34,000 incidents to about 16,000 while boosting fines. They plan clear messaging, but firm enforcement to keep neighborhoods clean.