I was fined £150 for littering after forgetting my walking stick - while out on my daily litter pick

An 85-year-old man is outraged after being fined £150 for littering after leaving his walking stick on a roadside - while out on a litter pick.

Alan Davies was "shocked, angry and upset" to be fined by the council when he forgot his walking stick on September 6.

Alan and his friends had been on their daily litter pick along Longwood Lane and Hayhead Wood in Aldridge, West Midlands. The grandad says he drove off, forgetting to pick up his walking stick and a bag with his cushion inside, which he had set by the roadside.

Every morning, before most people have had their breakfast, Alan and his friends walk around cleaning up rubbish left by inconsiderate litter bugs, with Alan usually taking his cushion to sit down halfway through to have a coffee.

Alan claims Walsall Council tracked him down after trawling through CCTV images from a camera. He says council officers found his address by using his car's number plate and sent him the fine last week.

Alan's friends and fellow litter pickers have tried in vain to talk to someone at Walsall Council about the fine but they keep being told to email their complaint.

The letter, from Walsall Council's Community Protection Department, says: "If payment is not received, proceedings may be taken against you where you may be liable to a fine of up to a maximum of £2500”.

The former builder said: "Why would I leave my walking stick there on purpose. I want it back, but I cannot speak to anyone human about the fine. I need my walking stick, they have taken the trouble to track me down - and after all I've done for the area, they could have given me my walking stick back”.

Walsall Council has been approached for comment.