A MAN who threw an empty takeaway food bag from his car at Warrington has had to pay a £50 fixed penalty charge – thanks to an alert resident.
An Appleton man was so fed up with passing drivers dropping litter near his house that when he found a discarded bag with a receipt inside which showed where and when the food had been bought, he contacted Warrington Borough Council.
Environmental crime officers were able to establish from CCTV that the driver was a Knutsford man.
He was questioned and fully admitted the offence and as a result was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £50 for depositing the litter.
Cllr Judith Guthrie (pictured) , the council’s lead member for environment said: “This was excellent work by our environmental crime team and I hope this will act as a deterrent to people who think they can treat our borough like a dustbin.
“It doesn’t take much effort for people to dispose of their rubbish in a considerate manner. If we all took the time to do this it would help make life better for everyone.”
Dropping litter whether it’s a cigarette butt or takeaway litter is a criminal offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and carries a maximum £2,500 fine on conviction.
Next year, a law will be introduced which makes the registered keeper of a vehicle responsible should litter be deposited from it regardless of who committed the offence.
5 Comments
Good !! Hopefully this bloke being tracked down and fined, and the new rules coming into place, will deter others from throwing their crap out of their car windows or when they are walking along!! We are sick of people just throwing their food/snack/drink wrappers and bottles around here too either from their cars or on foot over the canal fence and on the streets. TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU OR USE A PUBLIC BIN! It’s not that difficult is it ???
Well said Dizzy……………………………………………………………………….
The fine should have been much higher, not least to cover the cost of all the man hours that went into tracking him down. The chap that took the receipt in deserves a medal. Well done Sir.
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