Litter louts fined as courts get tough on tippers
THREE men have been fined hundreds of pounds for littering in West Lancashire. Wigan Magistrates’ Court heard that the drivers of two vehicles were caught on CCTV throwing items of litter out of their windows on Tollgate Crescent, Burscough.
Both vehicles were traced back to men called Lee Seddon, registered at two different addresses. One car was registered to Lee Seddon, of Warpers Moss Lane, Burscough, and the other was Lee Seddon, of Larchtree Mews, Liverpool.
As a result of the littering, West Lancashire Borough Council served fixed penalty notices of £75 on both men.
The penalty charges were not paid, which resulted in the matters going to the court where each man was fined £330. They were also both ordered to pay costs of £366 and victim surcharges of £33, making a total of £729 in each case.
In a separate case heard at Wigan Magistrates’ Court, Luke Little was prosecuted for failure to provide information in relation to a fly-tipping offence and was fined £250.
This comes after boxes tipped in undergrowth on Nipe Lane, Skelmersdale, were traced back to him.
He was also ordered to pay £200 costs and a £30 victim surcharge, making a total of £480.
The court heard that Little, of Darmonds Green, Liverpool, was asked to attend a formal interview about the matter, after he failed to pay a £200 penalty notice.
When he failed to attend the interview, the authority began legal proceedings.
These prosecutions come after West Lancs Borough Council vowed to crack down on offenders who dump rubbish in the borough by taking legal action.
Portfolio holder for community safety, Cllr Kevin Wright, said: “The council continues to work hard to tackle fly-tipping and litter problems and protect the local environment.
“Fly-tipping is a serious criminal offence with unlimited fines for individuals and business found guilty of offences.”
The council is also reminding all householders that they need to make sure any waste that they have removed is disposed of legally.
Anyone removing waste as part of a business must have a waste carriers licence and give waste transfer notes to whomever they collect waste from.
If you have reason to believe any waste has been disposed of illegally, then you can report this to West Lancs council at www.westlancs. gov.uk/flytipping