A mother has told of her anger after she was slapped with a £75 fine in Slough town centre - just for feeding the pigeons.

Sanya Malik, 39, of Elliman Avenue, says she was accused of "littering" by two Slough Borough Council enforcement officers.

They confronted her and daughter, Islah, aged one-and-a-half, outside Queensmere Shopping Centre after they had began putting down bread crumbs for the pigeons.

Mrs Malik, who is a customer services manager at Legoland, Windsor said: "We regularly feed birds in the parks round here. My daughter loves it.

"I did not see the officers to begin with as we were looking down at the pigeons.

"They said 'you are dropping litter and we are going to give you ticket'.

"I told them it was not litter and that the birds would eat it. I asked if there were signs saying not to feed the birds but they just would not answer.

"They insisted on seeing ID.

"My daughter was standing beside me and she was becoming upset. Fortunately my sister was able to console her.

"I did not want to make a scene. I even offered to pick the bread up but they weren't interested.

"A man who had been watching said they had been looking at me as I sat down, just waiting for me to drop the bread."

The incident took place on Wednesday, April 20.

A spokesman for Slough Borough Council was unsympathetic this week.

She said: "We don't want to encourage pigeons because they make a mess.

"If someone is throwing food down in the street then that is littering as far as we are concerned.

"Food litter attracts rats and it does not necessarily get eaten at once by birds.

"I'm sorry if this lady felt upset but we have a responsibility to residents to keep the streets clean -[we go out twice a day in the High Street].

"Bread has no nutritional value for birds so people should only give them proper bird food and in their own gardens."