Man fined for throwing litter

A man has been fined £175 and ordered to pay £182.92 court costs for throwing litter from a car at Cross Hands Business Park.

Matthew James Richards was convicted in absence to an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act, 1990 at Carmarthen Magistrates Court.

The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The court heard that the council’s environmental enforcement officers were on duty at Cross Hands Business Park when they saw the passenger of a parked vehicle open the door and discard a takeaway bag onto the ground.

The officers approached the man and explained what they had seen. He made no attempt to recover the litter.

Richards, aged 25, of Tylacoch, Llanharry, Bridgend, was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 for the offence but failed to pay it and was prosecuted in court as a result.

The council now hopes this case will act as a warning to others.

Director of Technical Services Richard Workman 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 do not want to fine people but we are determined to clean up the county for both residents and visitors.”

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