WOMAN TO PAY OVER £800 FOR LEAVING RUBBISH IN LANE

A Llanelli woman has been fined and ordered to pay costs totaling more than £800 after leaving rubbish in the lane behind her house.
Elizabeth Elaine Parton, aged 38, of Swansea Road, failed to attend Carmarthen Magistrates Court and was convicted in absence to an offence contrary to Section 46 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The court heard that council environmental enforcement officers were on duty on June 25 earlier this year when they found four black rubbish bags in the lane to the rear of Swansea Road.
Parton told the officers she had left two black bags in the lane and explained she had been having difficulty in placing the rubbish out in the lane as the back gate had been damaged
The officers informed her that it was the incorrect collection week for black bags and as a result the bags would remain in the lane until the following week.
Parton had previously been issued with a section 46 notice for a similar offence so she was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £100. However, she failed to pay it and was taken to court as a result.
She was fined £440 by magistrates and ordered to pay £238.86 prosecution costs, a £150 court fee and a £44 victim surcharge.
Executive Board Member for environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Rubbish bags left out for days on end cause litter problems and attract vermin. We are continually getting complaints about the state of the back lanes and the only way people will learn is if we take action against them. I hope this case will serve as a warning to others.”