Elderly threatened with prison for feeding the ducks.
By Humbug25
@Humbug25 (12540)
October 2, 2008 2:40pm CST
Council chiefs have been forced into an embarrassing climbdown after threatening elderly tenants with jail, for feeding ducks. Threatening letters, saying they were breaking their tenancy agreements by feeding the birds, were sent to 12 residents at a sheltered housing complex in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, England, following complaints about the amount of droppings in the area.
It is one of mine and my children's favourite pastimes to feed the ducks and I would be really annoyed if I was threatened with jail if I didn't stop doing so. These people are elderly and love nothing better than to spend their waking hours making sure the local wildlife isn't starving, how wrong could it be?
Let me know your views on this.
2 people like this
10 responses
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
3 Oct 08
There's been alot of crazy rules on various areas of Britain lately, it seems. =(
It makes me worried for my friend who lives near London.
Some areas have what? Trash police now? Who make you pain crazy fines for filling up your trash bins "so that they're too heavy"...wtf.
And just the other day I heard that now, people have to get PERMISSION to build patios on their own houses!
It's...insane. I mean no offense of disrespect, of course...it just seems like a very, very bad trend to me.
1 person likes this
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
3 Oct 08
pay! Not pain...*must get some sleep now* lol.
1 person likes this
@Anne18 (11029)
•
3 Oct 08
I totally agree with you on everything you have said, its one of the elderly's high lights of there day.
In out town there is no where to go and feed the ducks as we have no pond, river etc. Before we moved here we often went to feed the ducks.
There is a river in the next town, but there is a notice at the town bridge end saying please do not feed the ducks, and it goes on to say that too many people are feeding the ducks, so too much fod is being left by the ducks and it is inviting the rats to come!
Its a shame.
@asandifer87 (99)
• United States
3 Oct 08
That is ridiculous. Don't people have something better to complain about? I remember my great-grandma loved nothing more than to feed the squirrels and deer when she lived with us. If it's something they enjoy and it's not hurting anything then what's the problem. Threatening elderly people about jail is one thing, but if they actually followed through then I bet there would be some huge problems.
1 person likes this
@Sheepie (3112)
• United States
2 Oct 08
I feed ducks and geese all the time at the local brook! I think I might have seen a sign prohibiting this act in the past, but I can't even remember where the sign is. I don't really care, everyone does it! They might also be worried about the birds getting used to human beings, but is a duck really going to kill a person? The government is nutty.
@rickiely (257)
• Australia
3 Oct 08
I can understand the reason why people should not feed the ducks, involving health issues and etc but threatening with jail is crossing the line. It could work as a warning system of some kind to maybe stop this but the limit i would put it as is maybe a fine but that is about it. I would think it was only a threat that they would not actually do but just to threaten them should not be allowed.
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
3 Oct 08
Hi there rickiely and welcome to myLot
Yes I would have thought that a fine would have sufice but to threaten them with prison is really crazy. It would probably cost them more to take the OAP to court than it was worth as I am sure they would not imprison an elderly person!
Thank you for your response 
@wolfie34 (26771)
• United Kingdom
2 Oct 08
I would laugh if it wasn't so true and believeable my friend, obviously some jumped up little (sorry I am a gentleman and can't say the word!) jobsworth thought or deemed it appropriate to send out letters, well it's a sad sad world indeed we live in when people are threatened in this manner for feeding the ducks? Strewth anyone would think they'd gone out bashing people over the head with their sticks or with knives! People have no humility or common sense. Well I hope these birds go and do a nice packet on the official himself! Now that would be justice!
@ellie333 (21016)
•
2 Oct 08
Hi Humbug, I would be livid and if my local council tried to bring charges to me and my son for feeding the ducks I would be at the Court of Appeal trying to get a law for putting council chiefs in prison for passing such stupid laws and being non human in their methods and thinking. I would make their punishment being beaten with duck down feathers until they can't take anymore LOL. Whatever next eh! Blo*dy ridiculous. Huggles. Ellie :D
@amanda333 (739)
• France
2 Oct 08
The worlds gone mad humbug, what a silly rule
1 person likes this
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
2 Oct 08
Hi ya amanda333
It really is mental, they are old people for goodness sake, could they really bang them up for that? I don't think so, it's so ridiculous. I don't seem to be able to find another word for it apart from ridiculous because it is!!
Thanks for your response
@Humbug25 (12540)
•
2 Oct 08
Hi ya sk66rc
The thing is, is that these are elderly people trying to get some sort of quality to whatever they have left of their lives!! Duck poo will wash away with the plentiful rain we have in England anyway. There are worse things happening in the UK without having to worry about a few OAP's (Old Aged Pensioners) feeding a couple of ducks!!
Thanks for your response!
