Council threat of £1,000 fine for lost cat posters
A SCROOGE council was blasted yesterday for threatening a pet owner who put up posters in a search for his lost cat with a £1,000 fine.
Mike Harding, 44, was issued with a 48-hour “remove or pay up” ultimatum two days before Christmas by Bedfordshire council which accused the driving instructor of “fly-posting”. Stunned Mike had to drive around the streets on Christmas Eve to rip down his posters to beat the council deadline. He had designed 20 posters in a last desperate appeal to neighbours after seven-year-old tabby cat Wookie vanished six weeks ago.
Angry Mike, of Bedford, accused council chiefs of showing “a lack of compassion”. He said: “I received a call from the council telling me that I needed to take the posters down.
“We’ve had a few sick hoax calls and I thought this was another and told them to call back.
“When they did, they told me that I shouldn’t be putting up posters and if I gave them my address they would tell me why.
“So I did and I was expecting information leaflets, instead they sent a letter saying I could be fined. It was a shock, I’m a law-abiding citizen and I’ve not even got so much as a speeding ticket and I’m being threatened with a £1,000 fine for looking for my cat.”
The borough council defended its actions claiming the posters could damage the city’s trees.
A spokesman said: “We are satisfied this matter has been resolved.”