Giving away free air? You’re nicked! Bike shop is threatened with a fine for leaving a pump outside

‘They followed up their bold campaign to stop the ‘illegal’ sale of lemonade on the pavements of Tower Hamlets with a threat to prosecute the owners of a local bike shop.
The latest heinous ‘crime’ they’ve identified was the provision of a pump outside the shop for any passing cyclist suffering from a flat tyre. They claimed the pump was an ‘obstruction of the highway’. Officials told the owners they would have to pay for the ‘privilege’ of using the footpath to provide the free service and threatened them with a fine if it wasn’t removed.
For years, it has been a constant theme of this column that if you give anyone any modicum of authority, especially if it comes with a cap and a hi-viz jacket, they will always, always abuse it.’
Read more: Giving away free air? You’re nicked! Bike shop is threatened with a fine for leaving a pump outside