May 17, 2007
$160 Fine for Dropped Snack
A woman in the UK was fined £80 (nearly $160US) when her granddaughter dropped a bag of chips at a bus stop.
Barbara Jubb of Crawley, West Sussex picked the bag up and kicked a couple of chips into the gutter. She was then issued a citation and fined by patrolling wardens from the local council.
“I was gobsmacked,” said Jubb. “She promptly brought out her badge and said, ‘You are being fined’.”
Jubb’s daughter Selena said she thought it was some kind of set up for a hidden camera show. “It was that stupid,” she said. “People at the bus stop couldn’t believe what was going on.”
A council representative told the BBC, “We have apologized to the family for being overzealous and are happy to have canceled the fine.” However, Crawley Borough council said it wouldn’t apologize for targeting people who littered.
“People have a responsibility not to drop litter,” said Councillor Beryl Mecrow. “Littering annoys the vast majority of residents who use litter bins or take their rubbish home with them.”
That’s Pushing It!
Overcrowding on India’s trains is legendary - but sometimes it pays off. The driver of a stranded train in Bihar, eastern Indian, asked passengers to get out and push.
The train came to a screeching halt when a passenger pulled the emergency cord. Unfortunately, the train stopped on a bit of track with no electrical current.
Hundreds of passengers hopped off the train and worked together for half an hour to shove it to the next powered stretch of line - about twelve feet away.
“In so many years of service on the railways, I have never come across such a bizarre incident,” said a spokesperson for Indian Railways.
