Thursday 2 March 2017

6 Weirdest Things You Can Be Fined For Even If You Ignore It

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This week Nicole Bailey was convicted of theft, after pocketing a £20 note she found at a One Stop convenience shop. It seems bizarre, to fall foul of the law for picking up seemingly lost cash from the floor.

But Bailey now not only has a criminal record, she has also had to fork out £175 in court costs and charges.

Helping yourself to a discarded note isn't the only weird way you can land yourself with a costly fine though.

So we've rounded up 6 off the oddest things that can land you with a fine:

1. Failing to respond to a letter
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Every year, a Household Enquiry Form is sent out to each and every household across the UK. It's a form that checks whether voter registration is correct.

It's organised locally by your council, and sent out at some point between July and November, listing the eligible voters currently registered at your address.

If everything is correct, you can generally confirm the details online. If you need to make changes, you'll need to send the form back.

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Last year James Cook from Leamington Spa was given a £100 parking fine, as he had overstayed the maximum two hour limit at Knutsford Service Station.

The trouble is, the reason his car was there for such a long period was it had broken down, and he was waiting for the RAC.

Incredibly, the photographic evidence supplied by parking firm CP Plus, who issued the fine, was a picture of his broken down car being towed from the service station.

Thankfully sanity prevailed after James appealed, and the fine was quashed.

3. Forgetting your bag
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We aren't talking about your handbag or man purse though; this is the bag you always need with you when talking your dog out to do their business.

Councils get to set their own fine level for failing to clean up after your dog; it's generally around £50, though some councils will whack you with double that.

And if you fail to pay it, you could be taken to court and fined as much as £1,000!

4. Lying down
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Gravesham Borough Council last year issued a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) which bans people from having a lie down in the local park, in an attempt to prevent anti-social behaviour.

The order states: "Persons, who are not homeless or a vulnerable adult, will not lie down or sleep or deposit any materials used or intended to be used as bedding in any public space within the area.

"The order will also apply to persons lying down or sleeping in the open air or within a vehicle or other non-fixed structure such as a caravan or tent without prior permissions of the council."

Defy the rule and you face an on-the-spot £100 fine.

5. Honking your horn
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Honking your horn in stationary traffic, or while driving in a built-up area between 11.30pm and 7am, is not just bad manners – it's also against the law. Doing so could land you a fine of up to £1,000.

6. Not smiling while you sing
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This is another PSPO, this time from Oxford. Incredibly, it requires buskers to “smile, enjoy yourself and entertain others” .

*** Weirdest British Laws

So even if you're belting out a tearjerker, you still have to keep those pearly whites on show or else risk a £100 fine.


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