In the London Borough I live it was passed as a by law some year or two ago. Enforcement officers are there and have the power to enforce local government legislation. They would have tried to obtain his identity so they could send the fine.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23429849

And disgusting +1.

Jamie I imagine the OP’s mate would go for the “i was really sick with manflu and went to Sainsbury’s for some medicine. I couldn’t help myself and sneezed/coughed heavily”

I’m amazed that everyone’s concentrating on the spitting part of this story (yes, it’s grim), rather than the fact that there’s basically hired goons patrolling around demanding details and dishing out fines. Amazed.

Just get sodding ID cards and be done with all this crap.
What a ridiculous situation where you can’t quietly gob on the street. Sort out fag ends, chewing gum, litter, noise pollution, light pollution, dog crap and pavement parking before spitting.
Pillocks!

I’m amazed that everyone’s concentrating on the spitting part of this story (yes, it’s grim), rather than the fact that there’s basically hired goons patrolling around demanding details and dishing out fines. Amazed.

If the goons are stopping people spitting on the street….well….

Sort out fag ends, chewing gum, litter, noise pollution, light pollution, dog crap and pavement parking before spitting.
Pillocks!

What he said!

Yes how dare goons stop antisocial behaviour.

IIRC (probably not though) is the fining for spitting in the street come from trying to prevent the spread of TB back in the day ?

Or maybe it’s just trying to stop the pavements becoming covered in a thick green layer of bogeys that old people will then skid down, out of control on and end up putting the hip replacement surgeons under even more pressure.

Don’t get the spitting in the street. Basically he couldn’t be arsed to put it in a tissue and throw it in the bin, or even spit it in the bin. Common decency, like common sense, doesn’t seem that common any more.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/enforcement-officers-issuing-fixed-penalty-notices

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsUuhW7WbIg[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/j2KV05GEtWM[/video]

Hired Goons?

Sort out fag ends, chewing gum, litter, noise pollution, light pollution, dog crap and pavement parking before spitting.

How do you know said goons aren’t also prosecuting people for those things too?

Good. Filthy habit, especially in in town.

How do you know said goons aren’t also prosecuting people for those things too?

Because I still see loads of fag ends, chewing gum, litter, hear radios etc, experience light pollution, see dog crap and witness pavement parking on a daily basis. Maybe they are prosecuting these too so either they’re not working hard enough or are wasting money because the prosecutions aren’t effective.

jambalaya – Member

I couldn’t help myself and sneezed/coughed heavily

Do you think he has that problem when he’s at home watching telly – he just gobs yellow phlegm on his carpet, because he just “can’t help himself”?

Good. Filthy habit, especially in in town.

Pefectly acceptable in the country though! 😛

Because I still see loads of fag ends, chewing gum, litter

Maybe the goons have not yet been hired in your area?

Someone has taken a stand, in one area, and I’d bet they are prosecuting all these things. So you don’t have much to complain about other than the fact they are NOT doing it in your area.

First they came for the fag butts, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a smoker.

Then they came for the chewing gum, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Sir Alex Ferguson.

Then they came for the litter, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a ****.

Then they came for the gob, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a PeterPoddy.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Maybe they are prosecuting these too so either they’re not working hard enough or are wasting money because the prosecutions aren’t effective.

Well in this case the fine seems to have been very effective – Mr Poddy has come here to warn potentially hundreds of people of the possible consequences of gobbing phlegm near a shop doorway.

PeterPoddy – Member

£80 fine……
Be careful out there everyone.

Posted 1 hour ago

olddog – Member
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/enforcement-officers-issuing-fixed-penalty-notices

That’s an interesting read. Not least because nowhere does it mention spitting being an enforceable offence. Nor here,

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fixed-penalty-notices-issuing-and-enforcement-by-councils

So much else questionable.

Presumably “the system” is the DVLA database and they’ve accessed it in a way not covered by those guidelines?

Assuming it’s akin to littering then they’ve issued a maximum fine rather than the default.

They’re supposed to give you an opportunity to pick up litter. Why didn’t they ask him to wipe it up?

They’re not supposed to issue FPNs for trivial offences.

They’re not supposed to issue FPNs when there’s no evidence in case of failure to pay.

They have to make enforcement details publicly available, including details of what’s considered an offence. Have they? Who are they issuing fines on behalf of?

They’re supposed to give you an opportunity to pick up litter. Why didn’t they ask him to wipe it up?

Maybe they did? We need to get the hired goon’s side of things.

And they pursued him into Sainsbury’s without asking the landowner’s permission…

Given they have absolutely no powers to detain you, I think I’d have wandered off before they had the chance to call the coppers. Then again, I wouldn’t have gobbed one up on the pavement, but you do hear of cases where they’ve fined people when things have fallen out of their pockets.

That’s an interesting read. Not least because nowhere does it mention spitting being an enforceable offence. Nor here,

I guess that Iist isn’t exhaustive.

And they pursued him into Sainsbury’s without asking the landowner’s permission…

No they didn’t.

Given they have absolutely no powers to detain you,

Yes they do.

martinhutch – Member
Given they have absolutely no powers to detain you,

And your actual local antisocial scrote knows this all too well – laughing at them and calling them ‘Power Rangers’, thus are usually left alone when there’s easier pickings with students and old people.

Goons

They’re supposed to give you an opportunity to pick up litter. Why didn’t they ask him to wipe it up?

I think that opportunity to pick it up is just in case you dropped the litter by accident or didn’t know it’d dropped out your pocket etc.

Flobbing on the floor is pretty much a deliberate act

nowhere does it mention spitting being an enforceable offence

It does, it mentions “littering”. Waltham Forest Council established a landmark legal ruling 3 years ago that spit/phlegm is the same as litter.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10332490/People-who-spit-in-public-face-prosecution-after-landmark-legal-ruling.html

iirc PeterPoddy works in a bike shop – I’m assuming that the ‘perp’ was working in that shop, so they followed Peter him back to that shop, not into sainsburys

They have said “goons” in Glasgow, in fact they have done for years. Basically there to tackle antisocial behaviour whilst the police get on with catching “real criminals”. It may not be on the statute books but it could well be a local bye-law.

As for spitting itself, its been illegal in Hong Kong for at least the 25odd years since I first went. When you see how the likes of SARS ran through the place and killed so many people you can see why those in charge took it so seriously. It’s a public health issue, maybe if more people had consideration for what they are hacking up and how they deal with it there would be less rampant outbreaks. People in this country are by and large disgusting creatures, you only need to look at the amount of phlegm and chewing gum on our streets to prove that.

http://content.met.police.uk/Article/Accredited-persons-and-powers/1400016117624/1400016117624

We’re not talking about PCSOs here. Local authority enforcement agents have power to detain whatsoever (above and beyond citizen’s arrest level).

iirc PeterPoddy works in a bike shop – I’m assuming that the ‘perp’ was working in that shop, so they followed Peter him back to that shop, not into sainsburys

Aha – they should have brought some biscuits with them to help things along.

easier pickings with students and old people.

What oddly disparate examples.

Hired Goon 1: Who shall we harass today, Barry?
Hired Goon 2: Well, Garry, I think we should go for the low hanging fruit!
Hired Goon 1: Students and OAPs it is then!

Ta. That makes more sense.

I think that opportunity to pick it up is just in case you dropped the litter by accident or didn’t know it’d dropped out your pocket etc.

No, that’s covered specifically elsewhere.

It does, it mentions “littering”. Waltham Forest Council established a landmark legal ruling 3 years ago that spit/phlegm is the same as litter.

Ah, I didn’t know that. Ta.

Oh yeah marched into the bike shop.

Sounds like he’ll get away with it if he appeals. Then he can buy some hankies.

Jamie – Member
What oddly disparate examples.

Not really. Could’ve said Deep-Sea Divers and District Nurses.

iirc PeterPoddy works in a bike shop – I’m assuming that the ‘perp’ was working in that shop, so they followed Peter him back to that shop, not into sainsburys

Did they issue the FPN or the police?

Did they seek the owner’s permission before issuing an FPN on private land?

You don’t need a landowner’s permission to walk into a shop. I certainly never ask for permission, or even who the landowner is.

I wonder if farting loudly in a built up area between the hours of 7pm to 7am is ok or is it best to disguise with a simultaneous cough

I guess being fined for littering is more understandable as your potentially throwing something that isn’t biodegradable.

Although, I’ve seen green lumps of spit on the ground and it is a bit gross to look at…I suppose you’re being fined for unsociable behaviour.

You don’t need a landowner’s permission to walk into a shop. I certainly never ask for permission, or even who the landowner is.

Of course you don’t but.

You must have permission from the landowner or occupier before you enter private land to issue FPNs.

I wonder if farting loudly in a built up area between the hours of 7pm to 7am is ok or is it best to disguise with a simultaneous cough

That’s an interesting question…my wife and I went to a fancy BBQ smoked meat restaurant in that there London yesterday and I ate a lot of meat. This morning whilst on my commute I was happily parping away chuckling to myself that people behind might be walking into a cloud of guff.

If a police person was walking behind me and he could be sure I was the perp of the parp…could he fine me for unsociable behaviour?

In fact, am I just as disgusting as the people who spit on the floor because I farted in public. Although a fart is more temporary than spit.

Also, would the noise of the fart be more of an offence than the smell…