A woman has reported receiving a fine of £100 “for a poo my dog didn’t do” after a council officer penalized her for walking her Welsh Springer Spaniel without a waste bag in her possession.

Paula explained that she was approached by a council official in the town center of Northampton, leading to the fine after she forgot to bring along a dog waste bag.

She is among many individuals who shared similar experiences with Your Voice, Your BBC News following the story of a woman in west London fined £150 for pouring coffee into a storm drain.

Paula, along with other respondents to BBC News, urged local authorities to provide warnings before imposing fines for less commonly known regulations.

“She had already relieved herself that day and it was just a brief stroll through the town center, so I was confident she wouldn’t need to go again,” Paula stated.

“Uncharacteristically, I didn’t have a bag in any of my pockets, thus I couldn’t prove that I had one with me.”

“So what happened? I received an instant fine of £100 for a mess she didn’t make.”

Preferring to remain anonymous, Paula acknowledged her awareness of the obligation to clean up after her dog, yet she was unaware of any rule mandating the carrying of bags.

“I genuinely expected to receive some advice or a warning, with information about the law for future reference, but there was no leniency,” she remarked.

She described the enforcement officer as “courteous yet quite insistent,” adding that she felt targeted as an easy mark.

A spokesperson for West Northamptonshire Council emphasized the importance of dog owners being equipped to clean up in Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) areas in case their pets foul in public.

Implemented in 2014, PSPOs allow councils to create local regulations aimed at addressing community problems. Violating these orders without a valid excuse constitutes an offense.

The spokesperson further noted that officers are mandated to issue fines to dog walkers who lack the ability to clean up as per the PSPO requirements.

In a separate incident in west London, Victoria recounted being accused of fly-tipping after an unopened envelope bearing her name was discovered in an alley near her residence.

“The notice stated it was akin to being interrogated by the police,” she shared.

“I was trembling. I thought I might be sick. I ended up in tears.”

Victoria responded to the council’s letter asserting that she had never seen the envelope, mentioning that her area’s regular mail carrier was away, resulting in some misdelivered packages.

“I wrote my response over the weekend as I was so overwhelmed by the situation,” she explained.

“Then, around eight days later, I received a fixed penalty notice for £400.”

Victoria eventually paid the £400 to prevent the fine from escalating to £600 but later had it rescinded and refunded after reaching out to her local councilor.

“If anyone had truly taken a moment to consider the situation, I doubt they would deem a single letter as fly-tipping warranting a £400 penalty,” she remarked.

She expressed feeling “very distressed” by the entire process and was concerned that others without the financial means might face severe consequences.

A spokesperson for Ealing Council indicated that they had followed their standard procedure in identifying the parcel within the fly-tip, which contained the resident’s information, inviting them to clarify the situation before issuing a fine.

They also noted that the fine was mistakenly assigned and apologized to Ms. Wells.

In Birmingham, Kleo Papas stated he received a £100 fine after dropping a strawberry stalk into a roadside drain during the city’s waste collection strike.

The 58-year-old, who was in London for work, recounted how his colleague had offered him the strawberry.

“I happily accepted, ate it, discarded the stalk, and searched for a litter bin but found none, so I dropped it into the drain,” he recounted.

“Then I heard someone say, ‘I have that on camera,’ and looked up to see it was a council enforcement officer.”

Mr. Papas expressed his shock that it was deemed a violation.

“I thought it was acceptable to dispose of organic waste like that, similar to leaves,” he remarked.

“If I had realized it would be considered littering, I would have just kept it in my pocket.”

He noted that the incident occurred amidst heaps of uncollected trash due to Birmingham’s waste strike.