A woman from south-west London was hit with a £150 fine for pouring the remnants of her morning coffee down a street drain, but after a viral wave of outrage, the council has now backed down.
Burcu Yesilyurt, from Kew, said she thought she was doing the right thing when she emptied a small amount of coffee from her reusable cup into a gully near Richmond Station. She said she was about to hop on a bus to work and didn’t want to risk spilling it. Moments later, she found herself surrounded by three enforcement officers who handed her a fixed penalty notice under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 — the same law that covers illegal dumping and pollution.
“I thought they were coming to tell me something about the bus,” she told BBC News. “But they said I’d committed an offence. I was completely shocked, it was literally just a tiny bit of coffee.”
Burcu said the experience left her feeling “intimidated and shaky”, especially as she hadn’t realised that pouring liquids down road drains was against the law. She even asked if there were any signs warning people not to, but said she didn’t get an answer.
When she asked what she should have done with her leftover drink, officers reportedly told her to pour it into a nearby bin — which, as anyone who’s ever been scolded for chucking liquids in a bin knows, isn’t exactly the clearest advice either.
Credit: Canva
Richmond-upon-Thames Council initially defended the fine but later reviewed bodycam footage and reversed the decision, admitting it was a “minor contravention” and that Burcu had agreed not to do it again.
In an email seen by the BBC, the council apologised for the “upset or inconvenience” caused, saying the fine would have “likely been cancelled” through appeal anyway.
Since her story went viral, Burcu says she’s been overwhelmed by the public’s reaction, and that no one she’s spoken to knew it was even a criminal offence.
“I think it’s unfair and not proportionate,” she said. “I was just trying to be responsible.”
She’s now calling for clearer signs and better public information, especially around bus stops and bins.
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Featured image credit: BBC News, Canva
