An 86-year-old man says he’s now scared to leave his house after being fined for spitting—something he insists only happened because a leaf suddenly blew into his mouth.
Roy Marsh was sitting on a bench near the boating lake in Skegness, Lincolnshire, earlier this year when a strong gust of wind sent a reed-like leaf straight into his mouth. Startled, he spat it out. Moments later, two council enforcement officers approached him and issued a fine.
Roy said he had no idea where the officers came from and was shocked when they accused him of spitting on purpose.
“As I was sitting there, a gale blew a big reed into my mouth,” he said. “I spat it out and just as I got up to walk away, two guys came up to me. It was all unnecessary and out of proportion.”
The pensioner, who suffers from severe asthma and a heart condition, said the incident left him anxious about going outside. The original fine of £250 was eventually reduced to £150, which he paid because he felt he had no other choice.
His wife Anne, 76, said her husband was left very upset by the ordeal.
“Roy didn’t spit—how many 86-year-olds go around spitting? It’s a dirty habit,” she said. “These officers keep bothering older people. It feels like bullying.”
The story gained attention after Roy’s daughter, Jane Fitzpatrick, shared what happened on Facebook.
She said her father was simply trying to clear the leaf from his mouth after choking on it.
Jane also claimed that enforcement officers regularly approach elderly people in the area, even when the issue is accidental. She described the behaviour as “harassing and terrorising older people.”
She wrote that on another day, her father stopped to wipe his nose, only to be confronted again by an enforcement officer asking about his tissue—even though it was still in his hand.
In statements to local media, East Lindsey District Council said its enforcement teams only approach individuals who have been seen committing “environmental crime offences.” The council denied targeting any specific age group.
Councillor Martin Foster said the goal is to change behaviour and keep public areas clean.
“Our ultimate aim is to stop people committing environmental crime so residents and visitors can enjoy a clean and safe environment,” he said.
But for Roy, the experience has been anything but reassuring.
“It’s left me anxious about going out,” he said.
