A woman has spoken of the “shocking” moment she was fined £150 after feeding pigeons a tortilla wrap.According to the BBC, 23-year-old Sam Elkin from Southport was celebrating her birthday with her partner in Manchester on March 9 when she was fined for “littering” in the city’s Piccadilly Gardens.Sam told BBC Manchester she was sitting with her partner eating a McDonald’s burrito. She tore off a piece of an approaching pigeon and placed it on the floor, and was almost immediately fined £150 by council enforcement officers.“Before he actually got to us, the food was actually gone – the pigeons ate it and left,” Sam said. “It was so shocking; I was really upset.”Sam said she had no idea it was offensive when she was feeding pigeons in the city center on Monday. Sam said Monday’s incident left her feeling “very vulnerable”.“It was scary to be honest because I’m short and the person approaching me was only 6ft tall and my partner was in a wheelchair, so I did feel vulnerable in that moment,” she said.She said she had “no hesitation” in tearing the bird’s wrapping off because she didn’t know it was offensive.“I tried to explain to the officer that this was our first official visit to town and I didn’t know that feeding birds was illegal,” Sam said.“I didn’t think much of it because I was always feeding the birds in Southport.”Sam also said she did not think the fine was appropriate because the offending “trash” had been eaten by pigeons when police approached them.“The tortilla is actually missing,” she said. “I pointed out to him, ‘Look at the floor, this discarded food you were talking about is long gone’.”Sam said she was unaware she was being fined when she provided her ID to the officer.“I thought he said he would just give us a warning and then he asked for my ID, which I obviously handed over without giving it a second thought, but when he took my details that was that – and it was a £150 fine.”Sam said she and her disabled partner had recently moved to a new home in Huddersfield and were living on a “slim budget”.“We’ve only recently moved – like, we haven’t gotten our furniture yet – and to be fined like this, especially for something as simple as feeding the birds…” she said.“I mean, there are bigger things going on in the world.”
