Sutton resident prosecuted for littering

Jonathan McKenzie, of Garden Lane, Sutton, was caught throwing his Subway wrappers onto the floor and leaving it as litter, outside the Subway store at Lakeside Point in Sutton March 25, 2021on 25thth March 2021.

Officers at the scene dealt with the incident and attempted to issue McKenzie with a fixed penalty notice for the offence of littering. However, he refused to pay the notice.

As McKenzie failed to pay the FPN, he refused the opportunity for an out-of-court disposal, and therefore the council’s community safety team took prompt action to prosecute McKenzie

On January 20, the case was heard at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates Court where he was convicted under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, resulting in a £220 fine. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and costs of £482.82, totalling £736.82.

Coun Helen-Ann Smith, council portfolio holder for community safety and crime reduction said: “McKenzie committed the offence of littering and had opportunity for this to be resolved through paying the notice, but chose not to. Failure to pay the FPN meant we had no choice other than to take the case to court.

“We will not tolerate environmental crime of any kind, and this should act as a warning to those who think that they will get away with littering in our district.”

Antonio Taylor, council community safety manager, said: “Reducing environment crime is a core priority for the council. The community safety ream have been working exceptionally hard to secure positive results and make the district cleaner and safer for all. We will continue to take positive action and engage our communities to improve the District and promote responsible citizenship.”