Shrewsbury motorist prosecuted for throwing litter from car

Littering cost a Shrewsbury man £405 and a criminal record after being caught throwing a cigarette end out of his car window onto Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury.

The littering offence, committed in April 2015, was witnessed and followed up with enforcement by Shropshire Council’s environmental maintenance team.

Jamie Mackail of Shrewsbury, having admitted littering, was issued with a fixed penalty notice which he failed to pay. If the fixed penalty charge of £75 had been paid it would have prevented the council taking legal action against Mr Mackail. Instead he was fined £85, ordered to pay £150 costs and a further £150 criminal court costs, with a £20 victim surcharge, at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court on 27 November 2015.

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

“Littering is a crime: it is a national problem which degrades our streets, our towns and countryside, costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to clear away. I am hopeful that this prosecution will give a clear message that littering is unacceptable, and helps encourage motorists and their passengers to take their litter home rather than throw it onto our roads.”

To report an environmental crime, from littering and dog fouling to flytipping, contact Shropshire Council on 0345 678 9006 or ‘report it’ online at shropshire.gov.uk.