Fines or charges ?

[waterworks]

Is there a legal definition of a fine and a charge to differentiate between the two?

A partly public body the Canal and River Trust has no statutory legal powers to issue fines but is getting around this by calling them charges, so how do we define what they are doing?

Another thing to note is that this " charge" has never been enforced in court and no challenge to it has ever been pursued, this who paid it were not told it was a voluntary payment though.

[des8]

fine. :A monetary penalty imposed by a court in criminal matters

Charge:1) legal charge is security over an asset
2) a rush by a person or group especially of cavalry
3) fixed penalty imposed by an authority especially the police or council

What are the charges about?