Woman fined $200 after pouring coffee down storm drain due to little-known law

A British woman was left in shock after being hit with a fine of £150 ($200) after she poured her leftover coffee down a drain, but luckily for her authorities later decided to reverse the decision.

Fall is in full swing and that only means one thing: cozy hot drinks.

Whether you're a pumpkin spiced latte lover or a diehard believer in a simple black coffee, sometimes a good hot drink feels like it can solve all your problems - except when you find out it's actually the cause of them.

That's what happened to Burcu Yesilyurt, a woman in south-west London in the UK, who had just reached the end of her coffee before boarding a bus to work.

Not wanting to risk spilling the small amount of liquid left in her reusable coffee mug, she decided to pour the remnants down the drain before boarding the bus - but that's when things took an unexpected turn.

Speaking to BBC News, Yesilyurt recalled: "As soon as I turned around, I noticed three men, enforcement officers, chasing me, and they stopped me immediately."

Yesilyurt found herself slammed with a $200 fine, with the enforcement officers citing Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

In case you're not clued up on your sections of the Environmental Protection Act, Section 33 makes it an offence to deposit or dispose of waste in a way likely to pollute land or water, including pouring liquids into street drains.

Unfortunately, Yesilyurt wasn't aware of this law when she poured away 'just a tiny little bit' of coffee, and instead thought the officers might be coming to speak to her about an issue with the bus.

She described feeling 'shaky' after the encounter, adding: "It was quite a shock."

Yesilyurt said she was told by the officers that she should have poured her coffee into a bin, rather than down a drain.

Upon reviewing body-cam footage, a spokesperson for Richmond Council said it was satisfied the enforcement officers had acted appropriately.

However, Yesilyurt said the fine felt 'unfair' and 'extreme' given she had just been trying to act responsibly.

"It's not proportionate," she argued.

Thankfully for Yesilyurt, the council did ultimately decide to cancel the fine, saying the offence was 'minor' and Yesilyurt had 'agreed not to repeat it'.

Yesilyurt received an email to inform her of the decision, which read: "I can advise that on review the Fixed Penalty Notice has been cancelled. Please accept my apologies for any upset or inconvenience this has caused you."

Yesilyurt has said she's 'happy' the council has reconsidered, and called for the law to be made more clear.

"I've not met anyone who knows it's a criminal offence," she said.

In a statement, the council spokesperson said: "Fixed Penalty Notices clearly outline that there is an appeal process available to anyone who wishes to challenge them.

"It is likely that, had this case progressed through that route, the notice would have been rescinded because it is a minor contravention which the recipient agreed not to repeat."