Man fined $160 after dropping ice cream cone in seagull attack
A man holidaying on the South Devon Coast has been slapped with a $160 littering fine, after dropping an ice cream cone in the midst of a seagull attack.
Steven Higgins was enjoying a seaside stroll when he stopped for an ice cream cone.
After he purchased the cone, six seagulls caught the Yorkshire man unaware and launched themselves at him, causing him to drop the empty cone to the ground.
And to make matter worse, when the understandably shaky Higgins ditched the cone he was slapped with a huge £80 ($AU160) for littering!
Mr Higgins told the Plymouth Herald the bird attack was “completely unexpected”.
“The attack left me really shaken-up,” he said. “The gulls had taken my ice-cream but had left me with the cone. I was scared that they would come back again, I was scared for my own safety.Within seconds I was slapped with an £80 fine for littering.
“I was a tourist, I don’t live down there, I’m not aware of these things.
“If I had been aware I wouldn’t be walking around outside with an ice-cream. I was physically assaulted, and I dropped the cone because I was scared for my own safety if they came back.”
Mr Higgins reportedly wrote to the environmental and civil enforcement company that issued the fine, asking them to reconsider due to the circumstances.
It’s wrong to litter, but we think this has gone a little too far. What do you think about the man’s story? Do you think they were right to issue the fine?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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