The teenager, of Cardiff, south Wales, refused to pay the sum and carried on with her life after the incident, on July 8.

But on Thursday, she received a letter in the post summoning her to court.

It says she dropped litter, which is an offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act.

Miss Smith said: "I was feeding the seagulls and pigeons some of my lunch when a man who worked for the council came out of nowhere and told me I was littering.

"He asked for my details because he wanted me to pay a £25 fine.

"I asked him are you serious? I was feeding the birds - and they ate all of the chips.

"But the fine has escalated and now I'm being hauled into court.

"There's so much worse things going on in the world. I was only in Swansea because I was doing training for work."