Two young men have been handed massive fines for throwing litter from a parked car window.
Taylor Scarff, aged 21 of Finch Close, Laira, and his accomplice Kalen McLuskie, aged 22 of Charlotte Street, Morice Town, had their cases heard before Plymouth Magistrates Court on Monday.
The court was told how in June 2021 a resident in Benbow Street found a pile of litter, including fast food packaging and used nitrous oxide canisters, discarded on the pavement in front of his property.
The resident then checked his own CCTV, which showed a white BMW pull up outside the house. He could see the driver lower his window and throw litter onto the pavement.
The male in the front passenger seat then started to throw a number of empty gas canisters out of the driver window onto the pavement. The front passenger then unwraps some more canisters and throws the plastic wrapping out of his window.
Once the driver had finished some fast food, he then opened his door and placed the box along with other items onto the ground and then drives off.
Angered, the resident sent the CCTV to the Council's environmental enforcement team who swiftly identified Scarff as the owner of the car by using DVLA records. Scarff was sent a number of questions in a formal Interview Under Caution, which he returned, confirming he was the driver and identifying McLuskie as his front seat passenger.
Ordinarily, offences like this are dealt with via a fixed penalty notice but it was decided that due to the amount of items that were littered and the fact that gas canisters and fast food packaging are regularly thrown from vehicles all over the city, the offences should result in prosecution.
Neither Scarff nor McLuskie attended court but Scarff did plead guilty by post. McLuskie was found guilty in his absence.
Scarff was ordered to pay a fine of £1,026, costs of £335 and a victim surcharge of £103, while McLuskie was fined £1,400, ordered to pay £355 in costs and a £140 victim surcharge.
Payment must be made in full within 28 days. Both will now carry a criminal record.
Councillor Maddi Bridgeman, Cabinet member for the Environment and Street Scene, said: "When we are presented with hard evidence of environmental crime, we are not afraid to act.
"These are big fines for a completely avoidable offence so I'm pleased that we have been able to make an example of these men in court.
"Littering out of car windows is the epitome of laziness and it will not be tolerated in this city. These guys now have to pay over £1,000 each. Keeping their litter in their car would have been free."