Fined after dropping cigarette from car window

Offender reported by driver behind

A WOMAN has been fined £220 after she dropped a cigarette out of her car window.

Lisa Hamilton, of Cleveland Road, Loughborough, was prosecuted by Charnwood Borough Council after she was seen littering in November last year.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court was told that on November 2, last year an employee of the borough council was in a car directly behind Hamilton while in traffic on Epinal Way, Loughborough.

She saw Hamilton drop the cigarette end onto the road before driving away.

Council officers later traced the vehicle by its registration plate and found it was registered to Hamilton who was then sent a Fixed Penalty Notice for £80.

If the notice had been paid within 10 days it would have been reduced to £50. However, Hamilton failed to pay the charge despite several letters from the council.

Hamilton was charged with failing to comply with the Fixed Penalty Notice. She did not attend the hearing and the case was proven in her absence.

She was fined £220, ordered to pay costs of £165 and a victim surcharge of £30, totalling £415.

Following the hearing, Alan Twells, head of regulatory services at Charnwood Borough Council, said: “Littering is unacceptable, unnecessary and it can be expensive if you are caught as we will issue fixed penalty notices and prosecute those who fail to pay them.

“We’re all responsible for looking after our borough and keeping it clean so I would encourage people to take responsibility for their actions and dispose of rubbish in the correct way.”

To report littering or fly-tipping visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/ refuse_litter_enforcement and select the online reporting form.