Splashing pedestrians costly in U.K.

A motorist in the U.K. who drove through a puddle to splash a mother and her two children could face a fine of up to £5,000 if caught, roughly equal to $8,480.

Cambridgeshire police are searching for witnesses of the January splash-by, which left a mother, who was pushing a stroller and accompanied by another one of her children, “soaked,” reports the country’s Metro News.

Though it was not raining that day, a drain was backed up, resulting in a six-metre-long puddle pooling by the curb. The driver apparently deliberately drove straight through the puddle at speed to splash the family.

“The driver could well have waited to drive around the puddle or drive through it very slowly so as to not cause water to splash anyone on the footpath,” police were quoted as saying. They underscored that any such splashing is indeed illegal in the county, and that if it’s found to be done deliberately, a driver could be criminally charged with a “public order offence.”

Typically motorists caught driving through puddles in the U.K. will face the minimum penalty of £100 (about $170 Canadian) and the equivalent of three demerit points. However, a driver who wants to legally challenge the fine could see the stakes raised, to as high as £5,000 if convicted in court.

Some Canadian cities and provinces also treat the offence as a crime, but the maximum penalty is typically about $175.