A retired teacher from Berwick-upon-Tweed has been slapped with a £100 littering fine for an incident in Nottingham that he could not possibly have committed – because he was over 400 miles away in France at the time.
Breakfast in France, Accusation in Nottingham
Ray Weatherburn, 76, was enjoying his breakfast in Normandy on 13 August when Nottingham City Council alleged he had thrown a cigarette butt from his silver Vauxhall Corsa in their city. The former 800m running champion, who splits his time between Berwick-upon-Tweed and a second home in Wollaton, Nottingham, was baffled when the fixed penalty notice arrived on 9 September.
"I've never smoked in my life," Mr Weatherburn stated. Despite the council having his correct vehicle registration, his car was not in Nottingham. "My car was immobilised up in Northumberland at the time," he explained, confirming it was parked at his Berwick home.
A Cascade of Confusing Letters
The situation escalated when a second letter arrived two weeks later, threatening court action over the unpaid fine. Adding to the confusion, this fine was addressed to a man whose name Mr Weatherburn did not recognise. After he phoned the council to dispute the charge, matters took an even stranger turn.
A third letter was issued, inviting him to participate in the Immediate Justice scheme – a community work programme for offenders – as an alternative to court. The council later apologised for the "inconvenience" and blamed this third letter on a technical error.
Fears of Fraud and Cloned Plates
The ordeal has left Mr Weatherburn deeply concerned about identity fraud. "It worried me about ID fraud as there was someone else linked to my address and car," he said. He claims police suggested his vehicle registration may have been cloned, leading to the wrongful fine.
"I still don't know if someone's driving around with my number plate cloned," he added. "It's all very, very confusing and I can't get any explanation out of them. It causes sleepless nights and anxieties."
To prove his innocence, the retired teacher provided the council with passport stamps and petrol receipts as concrete evidence he was in Normandy during the alleged littering incident in Nottingham.
Nottingham City Council was approached for comment regarding this case of mistaken identity and the apparent administrative error.
