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A driver has been fined £60 after being filmed by a hidden camera throwing two wine bottles out of his car, in what is thought to be the first successful use of such technology in Suffolk.
Babergh’s Environmental Protection Team uses CCTV cameras to deter fly tipping and littering by monitoring known hotspots in the district. Whilst reviewing camera footage of a roadside pull-in on Sheepshead Hill, Great Cornard over the last weekend in January, Council enforcement officers witnessed the driver throw two wine bottles through the window of his car and drive off.
The owner of the vehicle was traced through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and formally interviewed. Faced with the strong evidence against him, the driver admitted his actions and was unable to give any explanation for his behaviour.
The evidence recorded on the camera was sufficient for enforcement action to be taken and resulted in the driver being issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).
Daniel Whymark, Babergh’s Local Environmental Quality Officer, said “Littering is an offence and an eyesore which has been found to attract anti-social behaviour and more litter. Babergh takes a zero tolerance approach to such crimes and we are pleased to be using our CCTV cameras as an additional means not only of deterring but in catching offenders as well. In the past six months alone we have issued eight FPNs for littering”.
“There is no excuse for littering, especially from vehicles, and we hope that by raising awareness of this particular incident, potential litters will think twice before committing an offence”.
Background information
A litter offence can be prosecuted through a magistrates’ court and carries with it a maximum fine of £2,500. Fixed Penalty Notices can be issued as an alternative to prosecution. The amount of the fixed penalty in the Babergh district is £80 payable within 14 days, reduced to £60 if paid within 10 days. If the fixed penalty is not paid, the Council will normally prosecute for the original offence in the courts.
It costs Babergh over £500,000 a year to keep the streets in the district clean.
Current National Performance Indicators show that the cleanliness of the Babergh district has improved in the last year (estimated 68% improvement in litter).
A DEFRA Local Environmental Quality survey in Babergh in 2007/08 found that 73% of sites inspected were littered with smokers materials, 65% confectionery packs, 44% non-alcoholic drink related litter, 26% fast food related litter, and 22% snack packs.
ENCAMS’ research (October 2001) showed that the public admit that the most likely situation in which they would drop litter is when they are driving. This is because they feel unaccountable and unidentifiable in a car. They also think it is more acceptable to drop litter if an area is already run-down or dirty and if there are insufficient bins. The research found that they would think twice about littering if they were in their own neighbourhood, if the area was tidy or presentable or if they were with children.
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