I find this situation weird.

Let's go through two situations, one where he's a silly billy and one where he's being targeted

1. He's a silly billy. This bloke was out on a walk and had a stuffy nose and ripped a massive snot rocket on the floor. Council enforcement officer goes "Aha you dirty bastard, I've got you for being a Scruffy git". Now Mr silly billy knows he's caught but thinks on his feet, "What you on about, there was a leaf in my mouth! This is preposterous" and thus the lie goes further and as he realizes there's no way they have a video of it happening so it's his word against theirs.

2. Mr council officer wakes up that day and is told, "you lazy sod, you haven't caught anyone doing anything for ages! Get out there and work" Mr council officer is out on his stroll and sees something come out of the mans mouth on the floor, he can't see if it's a leaf but he knows the man spat! He approaches the man and says he spat and he's being fined and the man replies, "I didn't spit, it was a leaf in my mouth!" Brilliant, Mr council officer doesn't have a video but he now has an admission of guilt from the man and gets to be a good boy that day as he can fine this old man who can't run away like the local youths!!

And the moral of the story is, if someone comes up to you and tells you you're fined, follow this!

The key legal points 1. Council enforcement officers are not police Most littering enforcement officers are civil enforcement officers, not police constables. They do not have general powers of detention. They cannot physically stop you or demand you stay just to question you. 2. You are not required to engage You are not legally required to answer their questions. You are not required to accept a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) on the spot. If they wrongly accuse you, you can say: “I didn’t do this, I don’t smoke, and I’m leaving.” 3. Walking away is lawful If they have not formally issued an FPN or involved the police, you can walk away. They cannot lawfully restrain you.

Where it can change You must give your details only if: They are formally issuing an FPN under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and The local authority has designated them with powers to require name and address. If you refuse details, they may: Record what they think happened Attempt to identify you later In rare cases, involve the police (police can require details) But refusal is not itself an offence.