Serpo
20th July 2013, 03:04 PM
A £50 litter fine for grooming my dogs in the park to help them keep cool on one of the hottest days of the year
Tracey Hayes was spotted grooming her pets by Havering council wardens
She claims they blocked her car door to stop her from cleaning the hair up
The wardens took photographs and handed her the on-the-spot penalty
Mrs Hayes said she leaves dogs' hair out in her own garden for the birds
By Luke Salkeld (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Luke+Salkeld)
PUBLISHED: 08:55 GMT, 19 July 2013 | UPDATED: 23:35 GMT, 19 July 2013
Like any thoughtful citizen, Tracey Hayes always stops to pick up stray crisp packets and sweet wrappers in her local park without expecting any thanks.
But when she paused to brush away some excess fur from her two dogs while she was walking there, the jobsworths pounced – and handed her a £50 fine for littering.
Two council wardens told Mrs Hayes, 46, she had committed an offence after they spotted her brushing her golden retriever Biskit and German shepherd Rocky.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/19/article-2370097-1AE275DA000005DC-306_634x873.jpg Tracey Hayes brushed the coats of golden retriever Biskit and German shepherd Rocky in a Hornchurch park but was fined £50 by council wardens for littering
It was one of the hottest days of the year, and grooming her pets helped to cool them down.
Mrs Hayes says she was then prevented from clearing up the hair and claims the two officers drove off without clearing it up themselves.
The mother-of-two from Romford in Essex said: ‘I spend so much time cleaning up litter in parks the fact that I have now been given a fine is ironic – they never see you do any good stuff.
‘I always leave the dogs’ hair out in my garden for the birds and I haven’t met a single person to say anything against it.’
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/19/article-2370097-1AE275DE000005DC-220_634x796.jpg Mrs Hayes, pictured with Rocky, said she always leaves dog hair out in her garden in Romford for the birds
The incident unfolded when Mrs Hayes was waiting for her son to finish football practice at Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch.
She claims the park wardens pulled in front of her car as she tried to leave.
She says one ‘blocked’ her car door to stop her getting out to clear up the hair as his colleague took a photograph of the evidence.
Mrs Hayes said: ‘I have owned dogs for over ten years and have never heard of such a law.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/19/article-2370097-1AE4A868000005DC-24_634x796.jpg Paula Robson was fined by council wardens in County Durham for clearing up another dog's mess instead of her labrador Derik's - even though she cleaned that up too
MARCH OF COUNCIL JOBSWORTHSTracey Hayes is not the first victim of over-zealous council officials.
Earlier this week it emerged a woman was fined £75 after she fed a piece of pastry from a pasty to a pigeon and then binned the packet in Bolton town centre.
The council has since backed down over the fine. In 2009, Vanessa Kelly, 26, was fined £75 for feeding bread to ducks with her toddler in Smethwick, West Midlands.
The year before, Sarah Davies was issued with a £75 fine for dropping a piece of sausage roll while feeding it to her young daughter.
A judge hearing her appeal in Hull later threw the case out.
‘I can’t deny it wasn’t a lot of hair, but it looked far worse when it was all spread out.
‘What has disappointed me most was he was going to give me that fine no matter what – even though I offered to clear it up.’
Mrs Hayes said the park officers then sped off without binning the hair, which she put in her car to throw away at home.
She added: ‘Obviously this was all about the money and not cleaning up the environment.’
Yesterday councillor Andrew Curtin of Havering Council said: ‘Responsible dog owners groom their pets at home or in their garden, not in public spaces, and especially not in our parks.
‘We put a lot of time and effort into keeping our parks clean. Littering anywhere in the borough incurs a fine, whether it’s a single cigarette butt or clumps of dog hairs in a public space.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370097/A-50-litter-fine-grooming-dogs-park-help-cool-hottest-days-year.html#ixzz2ZccXfScW
Tracey Hayes was spotted grooming her pets by Havering council wardens
She claims they blocked her car door to stop her from cleaning the hair up
The wardens took photographs and handed her the on-the-spot penalty
Mrs Hayes said she leaves dogs' hair out in her own garden for the birds
By Luke Salkeld (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Luke+Salkeld)
PUBLISHED: 08:55 GMT, 19 July 2013 | UPDATED: 23:35 GMT, 19 July 2013
Like any thoughtful citizen, Tracey Hayes always stops to pick up stray crisp packets and sweet wrappers in her local park without expecting any thanks.
But when she paused to brush away some excess fur from her two dogs while she was walking there, the jobsworths pounced – and handed her a £50 fine for littering.
Two council wardens told Mrs Hayes, 46, she had committed an offence after they spotted her brushing her golden retriever Biskit and German shepherd Rocky.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/19/article-2370097-1AE275DA000005DC-306_634x873.jpg Tracey Hayes brushed the coats of golden retriever Biskit and German shepherd Rocky in a Hornchurch park but was fined £50 by council wardens for littering
It was one of the hottest days of the year, and grooming her pets helped to cool them down.
Mrs Hayes says she was then prevented from clearing up the hair and claims the two officers drove off without clearing it up themselves.
The mother-of-two from Romford in Essex said: ‘I spend so much time cleaning up litter in parks the fact that I have now been given a fine is ironic – they never see you do any good stuff.
‘I always leave the dogs’ hair out in my garden for the birds and I haven’t met a single person to say anything against it.’
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/19/article-2370097-1AE275DE000005DC-220_634x796.jpg Mrs Hayes, pictured with Rocky, said she always leaves dog hair out in her garden in Romford for the birds
The incident unfolded when Mrs Hayes was waiting for her son to finish football practice at Harrow Lodge Park, Hornchurch.
She claims the park wardens pulled in front of her car as she tried to leave.
She says one ‘blocked’ her car door to stop her getting out to clear up the hair as his colleague took a photograph of the evidence.
Mrs Hayes said: ‘I have owned dogs for over ten years and have never heard of such a law.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/07/19/article-2370097-1AE4A868000005DC-24_634x796.jpg Paula Robson was fined by council wardens in County Durham for clearing up another dog's mess instead of her labrador Derik's - even though she cleaned that up too
MARCH OF COUNCIL JOBSWORTHSTracey Hayes is not the first victim of over-zealous council officials.
Earlier this week it emerged a woman was fined £75 after she fed a piece of pastry from a pasty to a pigeon and then binned the packet in Bolton town centre.
The council has since backed down over the fine. In 2009, Vanessa Kelly, 26, was fined £75 for feeding bread to ducks with her toddler in Smethwick, West Midlands.
The year before, Sarah Davies was issued with a £75 fine for dropping a piece of sausage roll while feeding it to her young daughter.
A judge hearing her appeal in Hull later threw the case out.
‘I can’t deny it wasn’t a lot of hair, but it looked far worse when it was all spread out.
‘What has disappointed me most was he was going to give me that fine no matter what – even though I offered to clear it up.’
Mrs Hayes said the park officers then sped off without binning the hair, which she put in her car to throw away at home.
She added: ‘Obviously this was all about the money and not cleaning up the environment.’
Yesterday councillor Andrew Curtin of Havering Council said: ‘Responsible dog owners groom their pets at home or in their garden, not in public spaces, and especially not in our parks.
‘We put a lot of time and effort into keeping our parks clean. Littering anywhere in the borough incurs a fine, whether it’s a single cigarette butt or clumps of dog hairs in a public space.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370097/A-50-litter-fine-grooming-dogs-park-help-cool-hottest-days-year.html#ixzz2ZccXfScW