I was fined £100 for visiting my husband's grave with the family dog – the council has hired 'assassins' | The Sun
A WIDOW has told how she was fined £100 for visiting her husband’s grave with her dog.
Lynda Martin, 67, had gone to the cemetery in Herne Bay, Kent, with her Collie Megan every day since her husband’s passing.
The beloved pooch, 12, even attended Niall’s burial service – and is known to the gravediggers and gardeners who take care of the plots.
But in February, Lynda was on the way home from the graveyard with Meghan when they were stopped by a stranger.
She told MailOnline: “I was accosted by a man with a camera who asked for my details.
“He told me dogs weren’t allowed in the cemetery, and handed me a £100 fixed penalty notice.
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“I told him it wasn’t fair and that I was visiting my husband’s grave.”
She was told the fine was part of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) that the cemetery had been put under.
It made the graveyard, and her husband’s plot, a designated dog-free zone five years ago.
But up until recently, no fines had been handed out – until Canterbury City Council hired a private company to hand out the fines.
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Lynda was shocked after being slapped with the hefty charge – and believes it was completely unfair.
She said: “Megan was on a lead — I had never let her off the lead in the cemetery to rampage around or anything like that,’ said the 67-year-old retired receptionist.
“But it didn’t make any difference — I was made to feel like a criminal.
“Why were the enforcement officers targeting a poor old lady just taking her dog up to the church yard rather than catching fly-tippers and hooligans?
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“I guess catching someone doing some grafitti might mean a bit of hard work. They’re just hired assassins looking for easy pickings.”
The Sun has contacted Canterbury City Council for comment.
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