It is not the sort of allegation that you’d think would land you in court.
One commuter has appeared in court charged with walking the ‘wrong way’ on a station escalator.
Michaela Copeland, 32, stands accused of ‘walking on an escalator in the wrong direction’ on the Transport for London regional railway network in Greenwich on November 27.
She is alleged to have ‘used or attempted to use an escalator other than by standing or walking on it in the direction intended for travel’.
It is not known whether she is accused of going up a down escalator or down an up moving escalator.
The obscure crime comes from railway byelaws, which make it an offense to walk on an escalator in the wrong direction.
The fine for those breaking the law can reach up to £1,000.
Ms Copeland pleaded not guilty to the charges at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on November 28.
Five weird laws still standing in the UK
- Carrying a plank of wood along the pavement, if it causes obstruction to pedestrians. The law applies in Greater London and carries with it a £500 fine.
- Firing a cannon within 300 yards of a residential property.
- Daytime cow-walking on the street. Farmers who need to move cows between 10am and 7pm need to first obtain permission from the Commissioner of Police.
- Handling salmon in ‘suspicious circumstances’. The Salmon Act 1986 enforces this law, which includes when a salmon has been unlawfully fished.
- Playing knock-and-run or knock knock ginger. It is an offense under the 1839 Metropolitan Police Act, which bans ‘pulling or ringing any doorbell or knocking at any door without lawful excuse’.
The suspect, from Bermondsey, south east London, was pictured outside court using crutches.
A trial, expected to last three hours, will not be held until April.
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