A van driver has been issued a fine of more than £380 after being spotted throwing a cigarette out of a vehicle whilst he was driving.
The man was seen littering by Barking and Dagenham Council enforcement officers, which is an offence under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The driver was identified as the driver of the vehicle after a notice was issued to the company who owned the vehicle to provide driver details and he was therefore issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Despite reminders and a notice of intended prosecution being sent, the driver failed to respond or settle the fine and the case was referred to court. At Barkingside Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty and was given a fine of £150, plus ordered to pay costs of £200 and a £34 victim surcharge.
Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, said: “It might seem a harmless crime in comparison to other things, but the truth littering is a criminal offence. Cigarette butts take years to decompose and can have a serious detrimental impact on our environment and wildlife.
“We take a zero-tolerance approach to all grime crime and this case shows that we will take action when necessary. We hope this sends a strong message to other would-be offenders that Barking and Dagenham is not to be used as a dumping ground for litter and rubbish.”
Here at Kingdom L A Support we have a number of services that can help tackle this type of environmental crime such as our top of the range AI CCTV service which can help to identify those littering for vehicles. To find out more about this and all of our other services please contact our Solutions Director John Roberts on John.Roberts@lasupport.co.uk
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