A Queensland woman was fined more than $200 for an offence she did not realise she had made.
The woman aged in her 40s was fined for littering after she adjusted her make-up in a street in Fortitude Valley with a group of friends while they were on their way to a friend’s birthday party at about 8.30pm.
While she was touching up her make-up, the tip of her red lipstick broke off and fell onto the pavement.
A woman was charged for littering when a piece of her lipstick broke off and fell on ground (stock photo)
The woman aged in her 40s was fined for littering after she adjusted her makeup in Fortitude Valley with a group of friends (stock photo)
Two Brisbane City Council officers and a police officer followed the group and hit the woman with a hefty $243 littering fine, Courier Mail reports.
The council officer reportedly told the woman that she had known that she had dropped the lipstick, while the police officer checked her identity because she wasn’t carrying her driver’s licence.
The group initially thought it was a ‘joke’.
A friend of the woman said it was a ‘really upsetting incident’.
‘They never instructed us to go back and pick up the litter, or clean it up,’ she said.
The group retraced their steps to see what all the fuss was about.
‘The smudge was smaller than a 10 cent piece,’ the friend reportedly said.
‘It happened right next to a pedestrian crossing and it would have been stepped on within seconds.
‘It was easily missed by my friend because it was so tiny.’
Acting Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, contacted the woman after hearing about the incident, which occurred in March. He said the case would be reviewed.
“While council does not tolerate littering, this certainly doesn’t appear to be littering and there needs to be a common-sense approach taken,” Cr Schrinner said.
Two Brisbane City Council officers whacked the woman with a hefty $243 littering fine at Fortitude Valley (pictured)
The lipstick fine comes just days after accusations the council was targeting the nightclub precinct for littering, according to ABC News.
Simon Turner was fined $252 for dropping a cigarette butt on the footpath in Fortitude Valley.
Brisbane City Council can penalise people for ‘illegal dumping’ anywhere between $252 and $2018 with on the spot fines.
Daily Mail Australia have contacted Brisbane City Council for comment.