Six of the harshest and most arbitrary fines for littering

A council contractor in Kent which fined a man £75 for spitting out a seed on the street has been criticised by locals for its “over-zealous” wardens.

Nobody likes a litterbug but does the punishment always fit the crime?

1. Money

A US police officer penalised a Good Samaritan in 2012 when the dollar he gave to a homeless person landed on the pavement. He was told to pay $344 (£220).

2. Dog hair

An Essex dog walker was fined £50 for littering after grooming her pets in a local park in 2013. Council wardens claimed she left clumps of dog hair in her wake.

3. Cigarette butts

Singapore is notorious for its strictly enforced anti-littering laws. In January a smoker was fined $19,800 (£9,500) for throwing cigarette butts out of his window.

4. Sausage roll

A British holidaymaker in Italy accidentally dropped a morsel of sausage roll on the ground in 2008 and was promptly charged £75 – even though pigeons had already hoovered up the crumbs.

5. Other people's rubbish

A volunteer street cleaner in the West Midlands was given a £75 fine for his troubles in 2012 when council workers accused him of fly-tipping.

6. Space debris

In 2009 Nasa paid a A$400 (£200) fine for littering Australia with space debris - 30 years after the penalty charge was issued. The space station Skylab broke up on re-entry in 1979.

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