A £1.59 McDs coffee ended up costing one man over £600

Dumping a McDonalds an empty coffee cup on a pavement has cost one man over £600 after being caught on camera by a member of the public.

Film footage from a shopper showed David Davies taking the cup – which also had an empty coke can inside it – from inside of the car he was driving before dropping it on the pavement in Heol y Neuadd in Tumble and then driving off.

Following DVLA checks by enforcement officers, the car was found to be registered to an address in High Street, Tumble.

Officers visited the property and Davies, of Bedwellty Road, Cefnfforest in Merthyr Tydfil and was known to the owner of the Blue Ford Fiesta and had been driving the car at the time of the offence.

The 26-year-old was issued with a fixed penalty notice which he signed. Despite being sent a reminder Davies did not pay up and his case was referred to Llanelli Magistrates Court in a prosecution led by Carmarthenshire County Council.

Things got worse for the defendant when he failed to turn up at court.

He was fined £150 and must pay £458 in costs and £30 victim surcharge.

The council’s executive board member for public protection, Cllr Philip Hughes said: “I’d like to thank the public for their help and assistance in identifying this man. Once again we are in a situation where the defendant has chosen to ignore the littering laws and is now faced with a bill running into the hundreds of pounds for not paying his fixed penalty notice of £75. Littering is unsightly and places a huge burden on costs for the council which could be better spent on our frontline services. No ifs or buts, the fine will not go away.”

*     If you have evidence of someone littering, fly-tipping or abandoning waste please report it 24/7 at Carmarthenshire.gov.wales <http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/home/residents/recycling-bins-litter.aspx>  (recycling, bins and litter section) or call 01267 234567 during office hours.