Nottinghamshire man fined £1,171 over littering offence

A Worksop man has been fined more than £1,000 for failing to cooperate with the council over an alleged littering offence.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.Mansfield Magistrates Court.
Mansfield Magistrates Court.

Anthony Green, of Knaton Road, Calton-in-Lindrick was forced to pay £1,171 after he ignored notices from Bassetlaw District Council after a vehicle belonging him was involved in littering incident, Mansfield magistrates heard.

The council issued Green with an Environment Act Notice after officers witnessed a female driver dropping litter out of a blue Saab vehicle registered to Green in April 2015.

Under the Environment Act it is an offence for a person, without reasonable excuse, to fail to comply with a notice requesting information relating to an investigation.

Green then failed to attend his hearing on December 10 and did not indicate to the court how he intended to plead.

The case was proved in his absence and the court imposed a fine of £660, awarded prosecution costs of £295, court costs of £150 and a victim surcharge of £66 - a total fine of £1,171.

On sentencing the Magistrates’ said it was “a very expensive piece of litter”.

Councillor Julie Leigh, cabinet member for neighbourhood, said: “Litter degrades the local environment and costs the tax payer to clean it up.

“There is no excuse for anyone throwing litter out of a vehicle when there is the option to take it home and put it in your household waste bin.

“Anyone caught littering will face a minimum punishment of an £80 Fixed Penalty Notice or risk up to a £2,500 fine if taken through the courts.”