Six smokers who were caught by litter cops dropping cigarette butts have landed hefty court bills and a criminal record after failing to pay on the spot fines.
None of the five men and one women appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court for their hearing on Wednesday 12 December. In each case the charge of littering was proven in their absence.
Each was fined £440, told to pay £350 costs plus a £44 victim surcharge.
The six are
- Ziad Al-Gewer, of Canning Street, Brighton, who was caught on Wednesday 22 August in Western Road, Brighton
- Lyke Halloran, of Harrington Road, Brighton, who was caught on Tuesday 28 August in Junction Road, Brighton
- Esther Isacc, of Brunswick Road, Hove, who was caught on Friday 31 August in Western Road, Brighton
- Samuel Stephens, of Tisbury Road, Hove, who was caught on Tuesday 28 August in Junction Road, Brighton
- Adrian Wilson, of Upper North Street, Brighton, who was caught on Tuesday 28 August in Boundary Road, Hove
- Zhang Yiheng, of Southall Avenue, Brighton, who was caught on Friday 31 August, in Junction Road, Brighton
All the litterbugs gave their details to Brighton and Hove City Council environment enforcement officers, who checked their details electronically. When they didn’t pay the £75 fixed penalty notice within 28 days, they were summoned to court for last month’s hearing.
The court gave them until Wednesday 26 December to pay the fines.
Councillor Gill Mitchell, who chairs the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “We’re determined to stamp out littering and these convictions show we take this type of crime very seriously.
“We will not sit back and watch our beautiful city become dirty because someone can’t be bothered to find a bin for their cigarette butt or rubbish or clean up after their dog.
“Nor will we stand aside and let people fly-tip their unwanted items beside a communal bin, expecting the council to take them away at the expense of other council tax payers.
“We will continue to gather evidence and fine offenders. If they fail or refuse to pay, we will take them to court where they will be handed much bigger fines and a criminal prosecution, as these offenders have found out.”
Pity the council don’t bother with the dog owners who don’t clear up their dog’s mess. That’s far more disgusting but not such easy targets
Agreed. It would be nice to see this applied to dog mess and beach litter bugs which is way more of a problem but not such an easy target.
Totally agree that the ownership on personal rubbish should be encouraged. Having returned to Brighton from a few years absence, last summer I was absolutely appalled at the state of the Hove lawns after what appeared to be groups of foreign students. It would be a better starting point for these vigulators to crack down on littering.
I’m all for preventing littering. But it is an absolute joke how far you have to go in some places in this town before you come across a bin/ashtray for you cigarette butt.
Never mind all the “free traveller campsites” and the mess they leave, nor the dog mess that is meant to be policed or worse still homeless urine and faecial waste in every shop door on London road. Yep go after a cigarette butt. Maybe empty the bins/ashtrays around the city more often!! #cashcow
Shame the council dont do the recycling, get rid of the public green spaces and public toilets in the name of being green too. Also funding a project on the back of fossil fuels (BA). Whilst putting these thugs on the payroll. Nice
Actually Michael, there used to be a powerful revenue on public toilets until the council cracked down on urine and Sh*t, that now flows between the back street’s of Brighton as if in the 17th century, the dwelling smell of sperm and kippers that should have been left in public toilets instead wafts the inner streets of the city and the only reason the greens stopped it was because they wanted it all for themselves, only the greens could importune public houses and kept Dukes Mound, one day even the writer himself will surface to inform you the truths of this!
Michael, their last experiment hardly gets a word in since Caroline Lucas was caught being on the board of the same fuel she started her very first campaign on “Nuclear” and now begs for cash to keep them going, as Piers Morgan would say, “today you could be the master, tomorrow a feather duster” and is exactly that!
As for the real moral of this story is that of whom someone wrote earlier about giving plebs authority, that have no clue from a butt to a butt-head or even the Butt we call an ass, who never know the difference from sh*t nor sugar, that don’t have a degree in basic toilet needs, left loose upon how streets making such awkward decisions on whom to target in order to get their frills off for a quick fine and most of them are perverts put into our society, judging you for your perverted Councils!
When l was a smoker, l always carried a small screwtop jar or tin for ashes and butts …which l would empty in nearest bin/ashtray.
Sadly these things are always with the best of intentions. In reality the people employed to carry out these enforcement’s seem to be uneducated, hi-viz wearing police wannabee’s who are incapable of balanced judgment and hell bent on exerting their new found authority. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency! We need to educate offenders first, not automatically give them substantial fines. Again, leadership comes from the top. Is this a driven financial gain for Brighton authorities or a genuine attempt at cleaning things up? I feel that George Orwell and Animal Farm is worrying relevant!
Dog poo everywhere! I personally reported it once and gave up. Nothing gets done
I feel it’s discrimination. No person fined for dog poo.brighton is disgusting for it.
When I reported the dog mess issue I was told the council could send me posters which I could put up! They’re alr3sryup znd ignored. And if I want a job with the council I’ll apply.
Sorry that should have read – they’re already up and ignored.
Sorry that should have read – they’re already up and ignored.
Sorry that should have read – they’re already up and ignored.
So I was told that it’s only a civil matter therefore YOU DONT have to give them your data and it’s for them to prove you done it make them prove it was you unless they manage to get a picture of you then deny it till they produce you evidence just like the police can’t just come and arrest you unless they have resonable suspicions you broke the law. I could be wrong but I know for a fact they would never get my name or address from me regardless tell them it’s their job to find out who you are
Littering is a criminal offence! Key legislation concerning littering. The main piece of legislation covering littering and refuse is Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990. Crucially, section 87 of the EPA states that it is a criminal offence for a person to drop, throw down, leave or deposit litter in a public place.
It’s also a criminal offence to fail to provide your personal details to an authorised person when requested. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/enforcement-officers-issuing-fixed-penalty-notices