Smoker’s £630 tab after throwing cigarette from car

Eagle-eyed officials helping council bring prosecutions

A CIGARETTE butt thrown out of a car window has cost a woman a total of £630 after she was convicted of littering.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how Belinda Buttrick, of Bosworth Close, Hinckley, was spotted discarding the butt end while parked in a car park in Sword Drive, on the outskirts of the town, on February 21 this year.

Earlier this year we reported on two other drivers being fined in the town for littering – one got a £60 fine one for throwing an apple core out of a car window, and the other was left £440 out of pocket for throwing away another cigarette butt.

A spokeswoman for Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council said the latest prosecution followed the defendant’s failure to pay an £80 fixed penalty notice after initially admitting the littering offence.

She said: “The court was told that a council officer witnessed Mrs Buttrick throwing the cigarette end from her car window while her car was parked in a car park in Sword Drive.

“She subsequently admitted the offence and the borough council issued her with a fixed penalty notice of £80, which she failed to pay.

“Mrs Buttrick also failed to respond to any of the council’s letters warning her of legal action.”

The incident happened in the car park of the town’s Halfords and Wickes stores, behind the Milestone pub, off the A47 Normandy Way.

The case was heard in Buttrick’s absence after she failed to appear in court for the hearing.

Magistrates fined her £220 and ordered her to pay £380 costs and an additional £30 victim surcharge.

Councillor Mark Nickerson, executive member for neighbourhood services at the borough council, hopes the prosecution will serve as a warning to others.

Speaking after the hearing, he said: “We take littering, fly-tipping, dog fouling and graffiti offences very seriously.

“Our officers work hard to reduce the incidence of environmental crime and improve the cleanliness of neighbourhoods and this case should highlight to offenders that we will take action in such cases.”

He added: “It costs council tax payers a lot of money to clear up after those who don’t dispose of their litter responsibly. It only takes a couple of seconds to use a litter bin.”

Earlier this year, the driver hit with a £60 fine for throwing an apple core out of her car window said she was angry about the penalty.

The 33-year-old was at the Triumph roundabout on the A47 when she threw the remains of the apple into a grass verge.

She said: “The apple core would have been eaten by animals. Many people throw out an apple core. I think it’s a prime location for people doing that.”