A retired teacher has been forced to fight a £100 littering fine issued by a UK council for an offence he could not possibly have committed – because he was eating breakfast in France at the time.
A Baffling Fine from Across the Channel
Ray Weatherburn, 76, was on holiday with his wife in France when a motorist in a silver Vauxhall Corsa was seen tossing a cigarette butt onto Farnborough Road in Clifton, Nottingham. Despite being over 250 miles away, including the span of the English Channel, Mr Weatherburn received a fixed penalty notice from Nottingham City Council alleging he was the culprit.
To add to the confusion, his vehicle was reportedly "immobilised" at his residence in Northumberland – approximately 200 miles in the opposite direction from Nottingham. The former geography teacher and British champion 800m runner, who has never smoked, was first handed the fine on September 9, relating to the alleged incident on August 13.
A Cascade of Council Errors
The situation quickly escalated from a simple mistaken identity to a concerning administrative mess. A fortnight after the initial fine, a second letter arrived at Mr Weatherburn's home in Berwick-upon-Tweed, threatening court action over the unpaid penalty. This letter was addressed to a complete stranger, raising immediate fears of identity fraud.
"It worried me about ID fraud as there was someone else linked to my address and car," Mr Weatherburn stated. He proactively contacted the council, providing passport stamps and petrol receipts that proved he was in France. Based on this evidence, the case was dismissed.
However, the ordeal was not over. A week later, a third letter arrived instructing him to participate in the Immediate Justice scheme, which requires offenders to do community work. Nottingham City Council later apologised for the "inconvenience" and blamed this final letter on a technical error.
No Explanation and Lasting Anxiety
Despite the apology, the council has offered no explanation for why Mr Weatherburn was originally fined. The only theory suggested to him, reportedly by police, is that his car registration plates may have been cloned.
"Nottingham City Council are absolutely appalling," said Mr Weatherburn. "If someone said there was a big mistake I would appreciate that but no-one has offered an explanation. It's very frustrating. I still don't know if someone's driving around with my number plate cloned. It's all very, very confusing and I can't get any explanation out of them. It causes sleepless nights and anxieties."
The council has stated it does not comment on individual fixed penalty notice cases, leaving a retired teacher without answers and concerned about the potential for cloned plates being used in his name.
