Canterbury County Council has apologised to a shop worker after officials issued her an on-the-spot £300 fine when they spotted a sandwich wrapper next to her till.
Lynn Brown, 70, was helping out at a vintage clothes business when two council enforcement officers informed her that the shop did not have a waste disposal licence.
They noticed the wrapping and told her she was guilty of illegally disposing waste and issued a fixed penalty ticket.
It was later rescinded and the council apologised but the great-grandmother said the incident was ‘very frightening’.
‘At first I thought someone was playing a joke on me, I just don’t understand. I was an easy target because I’m an old lady. It was really intimidating.’
The shop’s owner said she had a licence but recycled all trade waste and donated unwanted stock went to a nearby charity shop.
A city council spokesperson said the officers visited the shop as part of an investigation and food waste was given as an example of trade waste.
‘Following a subsequent challenge by the lady, we accepted her point that she was merely minding the store on the owner’s behalf and the fixed penalty notice was cancelled. We have written to her to notify her of this and, in the letter, also apologised if any distress was caused.’
