Dropping cigarette butts costs Mansfield litterer £250

Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines after their cases were brought to court.
Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines.Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines.
Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines.

Mansfield District Council prosecuted Andrew Crowe, aged 32, of no fixed abode, after he failed to pay a £75 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for dropping cigarette butts in West Gate on August, 8, 2018.

They also prosecuted Jane Richardson, aged 47, of Garratt Avenue, Mansfield, who failed to pay an FPN for dropping litter in the Market Place on August, 3, 2018.

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Neither defendant attended the hearings at Mansfield Magistrates' Court to face a charge under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 after they failed to pay their FPNs.

Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines.Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines.
Dropping litter in Mansfield town centre has cost a man and women hefty fines.

Andrew Crowe failed to enter a plea and the case was proved in his absence. The magistrates fined him £180, and ordered him to pay £40 towards the prosecution costs and a £30 surcharge.

The court heard he was spotted dropping cigarette ends by council Neighbourhood Wardens and issued with penalty notice for littering.

Jane Richardson pleaded guilty by post to her offence and was fined £120 and ordered to pay a £30 surcharge.

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She was given an FPN after Neighbourhood Wardens issued her with a Direction to Leave notice for drinking alcohol in the Market Place, which is contrary to the council Public Spaces Protection Order.

The court was told she became angry after being issued with the notice and screwed it up and threw it on the floor. At this point, she was issued with an FPN for dropping litter.

After the case, Councillor Bill Drewett, Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, said: "We want people in Mansfield to show pride for their district and part of that means not dropping litter - any litter, including cigarette ends.

"If you get a Fixed Penalty Notice, take it seriously. If you just ignore it, the chances are we'll take you to court and it will cost you a lot more than if you had just paid the penalty."