A woman from Renishaw has been prosecuted after she was witnessed littering from a vehicle by North East Derbyshire District Council Environmental Health Enforcement team in June 2022.
Ms Taylor from Renishaw was driving the vehicle at the time and deposited litter from the driver side window. The incident was witnessed by an Environmental Health Enforcement Officer who was in a van behind the vehicle.
When the vehicle stopped, the Officer offered Ms Taylor the opportunity to pay a £80 fixed penalty to avoid the matter going to court but it was not paid.
The matter was therefore dealt with by Derby Magistrates Court on 17th April 2023. The defendant was fined £220 and ordered to pay a £34 victim surcharge, the Magistrates also awarded £330 prosecution costs.
Since this incident the Council has increased the fixed penalty amount for littering from £80 to £150 (reduced to £100 on early payment) to try and help reduce littering.
Council officers can also track down vehicle owners if residents report litter being deposited from vehicles and the vehicle registration is provided.
North East Derbyshire District Council Head of Paid Services, Lee Hickin said, “We have a zero tolerance policy on littering. It is a crime that blights not just our district but the whole country
Littering of any kind will not be tolerated, we pride ourselves on this hard stance so we can keep our district clean and tidy for our residents and urge them to report any instances they see to us via our website so we can investigate.”
Reports can be made through North East Derbyshire District Council’s Self Service.