Man fined for litter offence at McDonalds

A GWENDRAETH Valley man has been fined after throwing litter from a car window at McDonald’s in Carmarthen.

Daniel Rhodri Evans was convicted in absence for an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that the 20-year-old, of Heol Y Ysgol, Cefneithin, was issued with a fixed penalty notice of £75 by the council’s environmental enforcement officers. However, he failed to pay it and was prosecuted in court as a result.

Evans was fined £100 by magistrates and ordered to pay £160 towards prosecution costs.

The council hopes this fine will act as a warning to would-be litterbugs that this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.

It follows a county-wide ‘Bin It’ campaign, supported by McDonald’s, to encourage people to dispose of their litter more responsibly.

Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “Dropping litter is against the law, whether it is discarding rubbish from a vehicle, throwing cigarette ends or spitting out chewing gum. If there are no bins nearby, then take your rubbish home with you to dispose of.

“We work closely with McDonald’s and other fast food restaurants and we would like to thank them for supporting our campaign. The council is determined to clean up the county and prosecute those that break the law, but we cannot do this on our own. We must all work together if we are to improve the environment in Carmarthenshire.”

Environmental enforcement officers regularly patrol the county and anyone caught dropping litter can be fined up to £2,500.