£133 for a soft drink!

A soft drink cost a local resident £133 after he left his cup on the side of the road and was taken to court for littering the highway.

Mark Wilde of Nethersprings Road, Bolsover, was parked near Tally’s End, Barlborough, when one of our officers witnessed him open his door and place a large soft drink cup onto the road and then drive away.

Upon checking the owner of the vehicle, Mr Wilde was issued with a £50 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) on 8th July 2011. The defendant was again reminded about the FPN on 31st August 2011, but failed to make the payment.

Mr Wilde pleaded guilty to the offence at North East Derbyshire & Dales Magistrates Court, but stated that in mitigation he had not intended leaving the cup but was distracted by his child crying in the back of the car.

The judge found the defendant guilty under Section 87(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and ordered him to pay a fine of £50 (due to his low income/benefits), however this was reduced to £33 for an early guilty plea, court costs of £85 and a £15 victim surcharge. Mr Wilde is paying the money in instalments of £10 per week.

Cabinet Member for the Environment, Councillor Dennis Kelly said, “This has turned out to be a very expensive drink. Every time someone throws litter out their car window or can’t be bothered to discard of their rubbish properly, it costs us money, and ultimately the tax payer money, to go and clean it up.

“We are very pleased with the courts decision and this should serve as a warning to anyone else who considers breaking the law and thinks our district is a dumping ground for their rubbish – that we are on the lookout and we will take action where appropriate.”

For further information on littering issues or if you want to report a problem please use our on-line form or telephone 01246 242424.

Date issued: 3rd January 2012

Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 January 2012 10:20