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Litterers handed court fines

An image of litter

Yet more Plymouth litterers have been handed hefty fines. 

A total of seven defendants had their cases heard by Plymouth Magistrates Court on Monday.

The court heard how three of the offenders had been caught littering in service lanes behind their properties in Peverell, Prince Rock and Stoke respectively. 

While on separate routine patrols around the city, Council Environmental Enforcement Officers had found deposits of waste which they were able to link to each defendant. Among the items discarded were timber offcuts, household waste in ripped black bags and an old TV box. 

Meanwhile, the other four offenders were each witnessed dropping litter in the street by on-duty enforcement officers. 

All seven litterers were handed £100 fixed penalty notices for their crimes but despite reminders, they went unpaid and they were summonsed to appear before the court.

Magistrates handed them each a fine of £220, ordered them to pay costs of £200 and a £34 victim surcharge. They will each carry a criminal record.

Councillor Maddi Bridgeman, Cabinet member for the Environment and Street Scene, said: "The rules are clear - you must keep waste within the boundary of your property until you are ready to dispose of it.

"Chucking it out in the service lane may be out of sight out of mind for you, but not for your neighbours so I'm glad that our proactive patrols are clamping down on this problem.

"As for those who simply dropped litter in the street, know this; we will keep patrolling and we will keep fining until people understand that littering is not acceptable in Plymouth."