An 86-year-old grandfather from Skegness has been handed a £150 fine by council enforcement officers after he spat out a leaf that had blown into his mouth while walking near a boating lake.
Roy Marsh was approached by East Lindsey District Council officers in February following the incident in the Lincolnshire seaside town.
The penalty was initially set at £250 before being reduced.
His daughter Jane Fitzpatrick has spoken out about the fine, describing it as “heart-breaking” and a “total disgrace”.
She said: “He’s a sweet old guy, and he’s lived in Skegness all his life.”
Ms Fitzpatrick added: “He wouldn’t hurt a fly, and these b*****s are picking on the elderly, and it’s just heart-breaking.”
According to the distressed daughter, her father suffers from walking difficulties, a heart condition, severe asthma and COPD.
She explained that a small leaf blew into his mouth, causing him to panic and cough it out.
Recounting Mr Marsh’s initial interaction with police, she said: “My dad joked with them at first and said ‘was I going too fast on my wheels, was I speeding?’, and then the guy said ‘No, you spat’.”
Roy Marsh, an 86-year-old grandfather, was fined £150 for spitting out a leaf that had blown into his mouth while walking
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PA
“My dad said ‘No, I never spit, it was just I’ve got COPD and a heart problem, and I was choking on a leaf and I was panicking, and I coughed the leaf up’.”
“So, yes, it’s a bit rubbish,” she despaired.
Ms Fitzpatrick explained that because the officers told her elderly father they were enforcing the law, he complied and provided his details rather than refusing.
However, she explained the incident had affected her elderly father.
Mr Marsh is a well-known and beloved member of the community in Skegness
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WIKIMEDIA“My dad’s quite stoic, but it shook him up.”
Ms Fitzpatrick revealed the incident left her father so distressed that he stopped taking his regular walks for a period of time.
She said: “He wouldn’t go on his walk for a while because he was really upset by it, genuinely, really upset by it.”
Mr Marsh, who lives with his wife Anne and has two grandchildren, asked his daughter to share their experience on social media.
Mr Marsh is a well-known figure in Skegness, having moved there as a teenager and later operating a taxi and bus company that held an exclusive contract with the nearby Butlins resort.
The Facebook post, in which Ms Fitzpatrick accused the council of “unreasonably harassing and terrorising older people,” sparked the nation’s interest.
She reported that a local councillor has received 66 complaints, all from elderly, frail and vulnerable residents. Others have also shared similar experiences on her page, alleging that officers have been following them around the town.
Ms Fitzpatrick claimed that enforcement officers were deliberately focusing on older residents because they are less likely to challenge authority.
She added: “I think they’re targeting certain sort of generational groups, because I think that they know that those groups won’t argue.”
The daughter expressed hope that the publicity might prompt the council to reimburse her father, noting that as a pensioner, losing £150 “for nothing, literally nothing” left him gutted.
Martin Foster, portfolio holder for operational services at East Lindsey District Council, said enforcement officers only approach individuals witnessed committing environmental offences, which includes spitting as a form of littering.
He stated that council data shows patrols are not targeted at any specific demographic and practices are monitored to ensure compliance with the Equality Act.
