BBC News, Leicester
BBCA woman says police overreacted by trying to ban her from a park over allegations she was illegally foraging for mushrooms.
Louise Gather said a police officer came to her home and attempted to issue her with a community resolution report after she visited Bradgate Park, in Leicestershire, in search of magpie inkcaps – a rare kind of fungi.
It follows a complaint by the Bradgate Park Trust, which runs the park, that Mrs Gather picked mushrooms illegally because it is a designated site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
The 38-year-old insisted she had not picked any mushrooms during her visit in November, and that Leicestershire Police’s actions had been “a bit excessive”.
Mrs Gather, from Derby, revealed details of the community resolution order on TikTok this week.
Louise GatherUnder the terms of the community resolution report, an informal agreement between a complainant and an alleged offender, Mrs Gather was told she would not face prosecution or get a criminal record if she stuck to its terms.
These also included her agreeing not to take items from the park in the future, and that she would look into what an SSSI is.
However, police have subsequently admitted that the order was not valid because the officer dealing with the case mistakenly got her husband to sign the agreement, rather than her.
Louise GatherMrs Gather said the first time she became aware of any problem was on 25 November, when an officer from Leicestershire Police came to her home and said a complaint had been made.
She said: “It seems someone had followed me, taken pictures of my car registration and passed them on to police.
“I was out when [the officer] came but my husband was home – and he thought I’d been in a car accident or something.
“The police officer was pretty good about it – I think he just wanted to get it sorted as quickly as possible – but he got my husband to sign something, which was an informal agreement that I don’t go back to the park – so he’d go.
“It turns out that was a mistake and the officer’s boss phoned me on Thursday to say it had been rescinded. He was very, very apologetic.
“The whole thing feels a bit silly. I don’t think much common sense has been used.
“I was a bit excessive to send a policeman to my house – especially as I didn’t pick anything from the park.
“I understand Bradgate Park is an SSSI. Why would I want to do anything to harm that environment?”
‘Mushroom bucket list’
“I do sometimes forage, usually for wild garlic and wild leeks,” said Mrs Gather.
“And on that day I was looking for magpie inkcaps, which are quite rare, and I had been tipped off they were growing there.
“My interest in fungi started a few years ago. I started to notice them while I was walking the dog then I’d go home and look them up. It moved on from there.
“Magpie inkcaps were on my mushroom bucket list. Occasionally I do forage mushrooms, but on that day I didn’t pick anything.
“I spoke to a couple of volunteers and had a lovely conversation with them.
“They told me where they thought I might find what I was looking for – and I did find them.
“I had my foraging basket but I didn’t put anything in it. I was happy – I was there about an hour and even had lunch in the cafe.
“There were rangers buzzing about on their buggies. Nobody seemed to think anything was wrong at the time. Nobody asked to look in my basket.”
According to Leicestershire Police, the complainant said it was reported Mrs Gather had a small knife, which meant they did not feel able to approach her.
She said: “I had my tiny mushroom foraging knife. That’s all. It has a lock blade but I don’t think I even got it out.”
Getty ImagesA spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said a report of a woman picking mushrooms had been received, and added: “Inquiries were carried out into the report and an officer visited the woman’s home address, where a community resolution was issued in relation to the offence.
“Bradgate Park is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), which is covered by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Nature Conservation Act 2004.
“The park is of high conservation value and should be protected as part of his heritage.
“The removal of any item from the park is an offence and officers will carry out inquiries into any reports of this nature which are made to us.”
The Bradgate Park Trust declined to comment.
Foraging dos and don’ts
The Woodland Trust’s guidelines on foraging say:
- Minimise damage and take only what you plan to consume
- Seek permission and look especially at sites of conservation importance
- Know what you are picking. Some species are rare, inedible or poisonous
- Know the law. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, it is illegal to dig up or remove wild plants (including algae, lichens and fungi) from the land on which it is growing without permission from the landowner or occupier
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