Kamal Ghorui
TOI Correspondent from London: Two Indian-origin men have been fined over £1,000 each for spiting paan in the London borough of Brent, which is on a campaign blitz to stop the menace.Akshitkumar Bhadre Patel (31), who lives in Edgware, was fined £1,391 (Rs 1.7 lakh) by North West London magistrates’ court earlier this month. He failed to appear at his hearing and the case was proven in his absence. He was convicted of spitting paan on the road in Kingsbury on June 11, 2025 The fine is £100 (Rs 12,000) but as he didn’t pay it and he was taken to court, it increased to £1,391. Hitesh Patel (32), who lives in Ruislip, was also fined £1,391 at the same court for spitting paan on June 12, 2025 on the road in Wembley Hill. He also did not turn up for his hearing.Brent Council spends more than £30,000 (Rs 37 lakh) a year on cleaning paan spit, which even high-powered industrial jets are unable to clean off. Enforcement officers patrol daily ready to issue a £100 fine to anyone they catch spitting paan. If it does not get paid, the council can prosecute.
