Five fined for cigarette butt littering in Christchurch

By Com_Publisher | Thursday, May 13, 2010, 22:51

Five people have been successfully

cigarette butts could cost you a packet

prosecuted

by Christchurch Borough Council after they discarded cigarette butts

in the town.

All five were given Fixed Penalty Notices

by the Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers who witnessed them throwing

the butts away but all of them failed to pay the £75 fine, so were

taken to court.

The defendants – Stephen Riggs (46),

Darren Maunders (42), Clive Henderson (62), Craig Dauncey (19) and

Louisa

Chandler (21) – were found guilty of littering under the Environmental

Protection Act 1990 at Bournemouth Magistrates Court on Monday 10 May.

Four of the defendants are from

Christchurch

with one – Mr Maunders – from New Milton.

Three offences took place in Saxon Square, one in Bridge Street and

one at Mudeford Quay car park

Fines totaled £750 for the five with

costs awarded to the Council of £885 in total.

Peter Woodcock, Solicitor at Christchurch

Council who prosecuted, said: “These convictions show that we are

serious about prosecuting any irresponsible person who is caught

throwing

litter away on our streets. Some people may not think of cigarette butts

as being litter, but they are and there are plenty of bins around which

people can use without having to litter our town.”

Civil Enforcement Officers employed by

the Council have the power to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for littering

and also for dog fouling. A lady was issued with a Notice last week

for failing to pick up after her dog at Steamer Point nature reserve.

Do you think that dropping a cigarette butt is a lesser crime than dog fouling, or vice-versa. Or do you think the whole system is a bit Big Brother ?

Photo courtesy of Steven dePolo

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/3038512708/

Re-post Write a story

Ads by Google

Comments

"Smokers drop fag butts on the floor and they always have done." Oh, that's alright then vickylou1984, perhaps we should also stop fining people for dropping other litter around the town too? After all, the place won't look any different when rubbish is piled knee high, will it?

By MrBobBobly at 19:22 on 15/03/11
Report
Absouloutly ridicoulous, dog fouling is discusting and quite rightly if someone fails to pick poop up after their dogs they should be fined!! but cigarette butts is going one step to far, smokers drop fag butts on the floor and they always have done and now they decide that they will fine someone for doing this, straight off, warn someone even take their details and if they are caught doing it numerous times, consider fining them, dont fine them straight away, no warning!! This country goes to far with everything, its ridicoulous and all you people that think its ok to fine someone 75 pound for dropping a fag butt, needs to take a reality check. I dont wanna live in a dive just as much as the next person, this is not the right way to go about it!! this country has gone potty and anyone that thinks this is ok has too!!!

By vickylou1984 at 12:53 on 07/03/11
Report
Fag butts are rubbish and I'm sure other foulers of the public highway are being punished too. Maybe we could bring back the stocks for offenders?

By McAngry at 11:40 on 11/08/10
Report
Seems to me that this is targetted against smokers. What about all the other methods of littering such as sweet papers, chewing gum and parking tickets.
I saw someone throw away a 'flyer' in Saxon Square today; as for fish & chip and other fast food paper & poly wrapping - well we all know about that. Surely victimisation and 'I hate smokers - lets hit them again'. Its got to be an easy popular target with high returns for Council coffers.
Seems to me that the council don't provide the means to safely dispose of ciggy butts because they want the offence and the revenue that goes with it - same as speed cameras.
How about the bin men dropping stuff all over the roads? Also, there are places in Christchurch which only seem to be cleaned once in a blue moon and litter gets blown around from street to street..

By 4legsgood at 19:42 on 09/08/10
Report
I think you should be fined for dropping rubbish of any kind. Why should we expect someone else to pick it up? Dropping rubbish in a bin isn't exactly hard. It's just laziness.

By DomCar at 10:12 on 25/05/10
Report