A hayfever sufferer has been fined £150 for “picking his nose” during his commute to work.
Alex McLeod, 22, was walking between West Ealing and Ealing Broadway Station in West London when he wiped his nose and dropped some mucus on the floor.
The GB News producer was soon tapped on the shoulder by two community support officers.
McLeod was told picking his nose and dropping mucus on the ground counted as littering.
Alex McLeod was fined £150 during his commute
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He said: “At first, I thought this was a joke and they were bored at being made to patrol the streets of Ealing this early on a Sunday morning so I laughed along and thought they were having me on.
“It quickly became apparent that they were not in fact joking.”
McLeod, who does not intend on paying the £150 fine, considered not handing over details needed for the officers to issue the fixed penalty notice.
However, after the pair reportedly became “irate” and increasingly “insistent”, he handed over his name, date of birth and address to prevent police being called.
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Alex McLeod, 22, was walking in West London when he wiped his nose and dropped some mucus on the floor
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He added: “I began to walk off at which point they followed me down the street for a short distance again repeating their threats to call the police before issuing me with a fixed penalty notice of £150 and describing the incident as ‘male has empty mocus on the ground and walked away', spelt wrong.
“I then took the notice at which point they said if I did not pay it would go to court, and walked off, the entire incident having been recorded on their body cameras.”
McLeod was exchanging messages with the council’s chat system but it did not prove very fruitful.
He was told dropping mucus was an offence under the Environment Protection Act 1990.
The 22-year-old was walking between West Ealing and Ealing Broadway
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Section 87 of the Environment Protection Act stated: “A person is guilty of an offence if he throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any place to which this section applies and leaves it.”
It added: “No offence is committed under this section where the depositing and leaving of the thing was authorised by law, or done with the consent of the owner, occupier or other person or authority having control of the place in or into which that thing was deposited.”
Fixed penalty notices allow individuals to discharge any liability of a conviction if the fine is paid within two weeks.
However, failing to make the payment results in prosecution and a conviction could lead to a mark larger fine and liability for the council’s costs.
A spokesperson from Ealing Council told GB News: “We make no apologies for taking a strong action against people who drop litter or dump rubbish, especially when it is intentionally spitting, urinating, or expelling nasal mucus which are considered littering, and which ruin the experience of people, the majority of whom want to enjoy clean streets and open spaces.
“The footage associated with this incident has been reviewed and there is a clear intentional deposit of waste – in this case nasal mucus - on the ground.”
