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Babergh District Council has applauded the decision of St Edmundsbury Magistrates’ Court last Thursday (March 26) to order a Sudbury woman to pay £245 for littering.
Cheryl Simms, of Nelson Road, Sudbury was witnessed by Babergh Environmental Protection Officers throwing a cigarette butt onto the pavement in North Street Sudbury on the morning of October 17 2008. Ms Simms was spoken to by the officers, who gave her the opportunity of paying a Fixed Penalty Notice fine of £80 (reduced to £60 if paid within ten days) as an alternative to prosecution.
However, Ms Simms failed to pay the Fixed Penalty and did not respond to reminders which the Council sent her.
Ms Simms received a fine of £80 and was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and a contribution to costs of £150.
Joanna Hart, Environmental Protection Officer said “Whilst this may initially seem a trivial matter to some, it costs Babergh taxpayers nearly £80,000 a year to clean Sudbury town centre. Smoking related litter is the most commonly found litter on UK streets and makes up more than 40% of all litter dropped in this country”.
Last year Babergh joined up with Sudbury Town Council to spend approximately £10,000 on installing 22 new litter bins – all fitted with cigarette ashtrays – in the town centre. During the morning when Ms Simms was caught littering, six other people were also spotted dropping cigarette ends within a 90 minute period – all of whom paid the fines.
“It’s a shame that a minority of people seem to have little respect for the town which they live and work in” added Joanna Hart, “so it’s important that they understand it is a serious issue and the Council is prepared to take incidents like this to Court if necessary.”
The money raised from the Fixed Penalties goes directly back into ensuring our streets are kept clean. In light of the high incidence of littering of this type, Babergh officers plan to periodically return to Sudbury town centre to conduct similar campaigns against litterers, as well as at other “hotspots” in the district.
Anyone witnessing someone littering should contact Babergh on (01473) 826622.
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