OUT OF THE CHIP PAN AND INTO THE COURT

13/03/2006 - Throwing chip paper out of a car window in Marks Tey, Essex landed a man with a £100 fine and £80 costs after he was spotted by Environment Agency officers. The officers took down the registration of the car and took photographs of the litter left behind. The car owner, Kevin Paul Doe of Harberd Tye, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £50 which he failed to pay.

As a result he was taken to court by Colchester Borough Council and fined in his absence when he failed to turn up on Wednesday (8 Mar).

Environment Agency officers work in conjunction with local councils to help enforce legislation regarding littering. The Environment Agency officer issued the notice under section 88 of the Environmental Protection Act 11000 as an authorised Street Care Officer for Colchester Borough Council.

One of the Environment Officers who witnessed the offence said: ‘Members of the public should be aware that littering is an anti-social crime that won’t be tolerated. We all need to make an effort to keep our local environment and neighbourhoods clean.
‘Under the regulations officers have the ability to write on the spot fixed penalty notices for littering. There are a growing number of people in the community with these powers and they are always on the look out for people who drop rubbish!