Two women from Lichfield have been fined for littering after dropping cigarette butts.
Because both women failed to pay their fixed penalty notices of £75 (reduced to £60 if paid within ten days), the council had no option but to take them to court.
The two were caugt after Lichfield District Council’s environmental health officers witnessed them dropping their cigarette butts.
Twenty-one year-old Lisa Sheasby, of Dimbles Lane in Lichfield, pleaded guilty in writing to the charge of littering and was fined £100 at Tamworth Magistrates Court on October 6. She was also ordered to pay court costs of £300 and a £15 victim surcharge.
Twenty-one year-old Natalie Hutchins, of Wissage Court in Lichfield, failed to attend three scheduled court cases. In her absence, at the third hearing at Tamworth Magistrates Court on November 3, she was found guilty and fined £350. She was also ordered to pay court costs of £490 and a £15 victim surcharge.
Councillor Ian Pritchard, Cabinet Member of Housing, Health and Environmental Protection for Lichfield District Council, said:
“I hope these two successful prosecutions act as a warning to anyone who may think that it is acceptable to drop litter in our district.
“Many people don’t think of cigarette butts as litter. However, they most certainly are. Cigarette filters are not biodegradable and are also hard for our street cleansers to clear up because they are small. So, if you smoke please remember to always stub out your cigarette and put it in a bin.”
