Woman gets �75 fine for dropping cigarette butt

A SAFFRON Walden woman has been fined �75 by Uttlesford District Council for throwing a cigarette butt from her car window.

The resident was spotted by a council officer throwing the cigarette butt from her car as she waited in a line of stationary traffic on Radwinter Road, Saffron Walden.

Uttlesford District Council has said it will take action against anyone seen to be dropping litter in the district, including cigarette butts.

One aspect of its recently launched Keep Uttlesford Tidy campaign is a tougher line on the few individuals who thoughtlessly litter the district’s streets and spaces.

Once the woman was witnessed dropping litter from her car, the car’s registration details were passed on to the council’s enforcement team. They contacted the DVLA, who provided the owner’s address.

A member of the enforcement team then wrote to the car’s owner, serving a fixed penalty notice for �75.

If the fixed penalty notice had not been paid in 14 days, the council would have been able to initiate legal proceedings. This could have led to a magistrates’ court hearing, and a maximum fine of �2,500.

Cllr Jim Ketteridge, leader of the council, said: “Dropping litter from vehicles is an all-too-common problem, and one that we’re very serious about tackling.

“While the vast majority of people in the district have enough respect for their surroundings and neighbours to not just drop their waste outside, there are still a few who think it’s acceptable to do so. It is not.

“This particular incident demonstrates how seriously we take this issue, even when it involves items as small as cigarette butts.”