‘Jobsworth’ council litter warden is slammed for following woman, 87, as she struggled with a walking frame before pouncing and fining her £150 the second she dropped a cigarette butt

• Bertha Quinn, 87, was ‘wobbly on her feet’ as she could not afford the £150 fine
• Read: Rise of council busy-bodies: More than 13,400 on-the-spot fines given

A council litter warden has been slammed for following an 87-year-old woman with a walking frame before pouncing and fining her £150 the second she dropped her cigarette butt.   

CCTV footage reveals the ‘jobsworth’ enforcement officer appearing to spy on Bertha Quinn while standing by a tree in Romford, East London. He then approaches the elderly woman to tell her she dropped the butt. 

It comes as councils issued a record number of on-the-spot fines last year after banning everything from feeding birds to climbing trees, a recent report found. 

The video, which was posted on TikTok, caused fury as Ms Quinn was not given a chance to pick up the litter before she was landed with the penalty notice. 

Four more council workers were spotted nearby in the area at around 10:45am on Monday, according to The Sun. 

#romford #havering #warning #VIRAL #FYP

CCTV footage reveals a ‘jobsworth’ enforcement officer (left) appearing to spy on Bertha Quinn (centre in the grey coat) while standing by a tree in Romford, East London

READ MORE: Rise of the council busy-bodies: More than 13,400 on-the-spot fines are handed out by jobsworth officials in a year as town halls rake in cash cracking down on ‘crimes’ including kite flying, tree-climbing, skateboarding and swearing

Meanwhile outraged locals defended the 87-year-old, arguing she may have been physically incapable of picking up the butt. 

One person wrote on TikTok: ‘Preying on the vulnerable.’

Another said: ‘I’m disgusted.’  

The council has a zero-tolerance policy to littering, according to officers.

Auctioneer Mick Tomlin, 73, who filmed the incident, said: ‘We see this lady walk past every day.

‘She’s a lovely customer and had come in to buy a second-hand pair of slippers. 

‘I don’t believe she intended to litter but was targeted and followed by officers hoping to catch her out.

‘Maybe instead of paying five employees to spy on people, the council should solve the problem by putting that money towards fixing the lack of bins here.’

Ms Quinn was informed that the fine would be reduced to £125 for early payment, but she did not have enough money. 

‘She actually got a bit wobbly on her feet thinking about having to pay all that money. It was really upsetting,’ said Mr Tomlin, who put a video of the incident on TikTok. 

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell said he was horrified by the footage, according to The Sun. 

He then approaches the elderly woman to tell her she has dropped her cigarette butt 

The video caused fury as Ms Quinn was not given a chance to pick up the litter before she was landed with the penalty notice

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