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£500 up in smoke as court issues fine over dropped cigarette butt

11:04am Wednesday 2nd November 2011 in News

£500 up in smoke as court issues fine over dropped cigarette butt £500 up in smoke as court issues fine over dropped cigarette butt

A WIRRAL man who dropped a cigarette butt onto a pavement has been fined more than £500.

The matter came before Birkenhead Magistrates Court this week but the defendant, a Wallasey resident, failed to attend.

In his absence, he was fined £125 and ordered to pay £385 in costs and a victim surcharge of £15 – a total of £525.

A statement from Wirral Council explains the man was outside Primark store in Liscard when he was spotted by a Community Patrol Officer dropping a cigarette butt onto the pavement.

The officer issued him with a fixed penalty notice for the offence of depositing and leaving litter, a breach of Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The notice was for £75, reduced to £50 if the offender paid within ten days.

However, despite several reminders, he did not pay the fixed penalty and failed to contact the council at any time over the issue.

As a result, the council’s enforcement team pursued the prosecution.

Councillor Harry Smith, Wirral Council cabinet member for Streetscene and transport services, said: “Discarded items of litter - particularly things like cigarette ends - blight our communities and the message has to go out to people who are caught deliberately dropping litter that they will be fined.

“In this particular case, the flagrant disregard shown by the offender to the consequences of his actions has ultimately landed him with a much more severe penalty.”

Comments(42)

Cheesy Peas says...
11:30am Wed 2 Nov 11

It's official. The world has gone mad.

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dodgyd says...
11:47am Wed 2 Nov 11

Excellent, glad he was fined. Fag butts are still litter, no different to an empty crisp packet.

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BluePaddy says...
1:24pm Wed 2 Nov 11

Just stand outside every pub at a weekend, this fundraiser would reduce our council tax bills and help avoid further cuts to council budget !!!

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uncatom says...
2:13pm Wed 2 Nov 11

He was given the opportunity to pay the of £50 fine but chose to ignore the chance, like so many more in todays society they believe the law doesnt apply to them,I live by Mosslands school and the litter generated by the kids from there is unbelievable perhaps if they started to instill some of the social graces whilst still at school it might not have become so much of a great problem.

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red devil says...
4:29pm Wed 2 Nov 11

Hang on! Smokers cannot smoke IN doors, by doors, but can smoke walking down the street. So why are there not ash trays on the lamp posts then? If smokers are allowed the smoke outside there should be receptacles provided.

ex-smoker

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Spiffy says...
4:31pm Wed 2 Nov 11

For some reason The Globe has allowed comments on a court case whereas they never usually do. Oh, it's about a smoker...I see...biased much ?
...
On the story....quite right he should be fined but I do wonder if that same PCSO managed to catch anyone that same day up the other end of the row at McDonalds chucking their rubbish on the floor. Nope, didn't think so.
...
As for litter being litter...well there's "litter" and there's "cigarette ends" and since one is guaranteed to attract more outrage and support for prosecution than the other it is targeted far more often. A lone smoker is a far easier target than a gang of 6 foot schoolkids eh ?
...
Apply the law Equally and we all might just have a bit more respect for it and those who enforce it.

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Spiffy says...
5:26pm Wed 2 Nov 11

Oops I confused a CPO with PCSO...the former being a council employee, of course.

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PaulCa says...
11:28pm Wed 2 Nov 11

A lone smoker is also a far easier target than the occupants of a large building in Wallasey, who spent 7 years ignoring a whistleblower and plundering the bank accounts of 16 learning disabled people to the tune of £500,000.

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Ben Beaconsfield says...
7:48am Thu 3 Nov 11

Name and shame.

Who was he / she?

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artc says...
12:25pm Thu 3 Nov 11

Blue Paddy, you are quite right, the mess from drinkers throwing their cig ends into the street is disgusting, go to the PerchRock/Railway/Co
mmercial and see the mess, the pub should be resposible and clean up the mess.

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Ben Beaconsfield says...
1:25pm Thu 3 Nov 11

So pubs are responsible for people not being allowed to smoke on their premises, are they?

That will be news to the many thousands of publicans whose businesses have gone (not 'up in smoke') or are in danger of going as a result of this ban.

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antisthenes says...
1:59pm Thu 3 Nov 11

The offending smoker was no doubt in the wrong. However like spiffy I am concerned that individuals who blight our streets with far more offensive behaviours go largely unchallenged and unpunished.

Terrorise your neighbourhood for years, destroy the quality of people's lives, have your Pit Bull devour a pensioners pooch and the worst you can expect is a slap on the wrist.

Two wrongs do not make a right but we ought to be putting our energies into tackling the real offenders.

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red devil says...
2:38pm Thu 3 Nov 11

at least ciggie butts are biodegradable unlike the masses of semi plastic cups, burger boxes, drinking straws, and all the other paraphenalia left outside and within a hundred yards of McDonalds, KFC etc.

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artc says...
2:59pm Thu 3 Nov 11

Ben, who said pubs are responsible for the ban?, i said that outside their pub they should be made to clean up the litter from their customers, what is so wrong about that? if i stood outside and threw crisp packets into the gutter, would that be okay ??

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Ben Beaconsfield says...
3:41pm Thu 3 Nov 11

No it wouldn't be OK.

However, if you were a tenant, it would be your responsibility, not your landlord's.

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Positive thinker says...
6:51pm Thu 3 Nov 11

Totally agree with let's tackle the real
crime,I think litter should be secondary,
drug dealers,house robbers,car thieves, violent crime under age drinking the list
Is endless

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JADEE1 says...
7:50pm Thu 3 Nov 11

cllr harry smith ,master of chasin empty crisp bags around hamilton square,!! sooner your up the road the better.another waste of space,!!

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Cheesy Peas says...
2:12pm Fri 4 Nov 11

http://baytvliverpoo
l.com/vod/index.php?
vid=JBV4eb2e6b72e893

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Wirralrob says...
4:16pm Fri 4 Nov 11

Yes should have been fined, but yes, lazy council should provide more bins.

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bickyboy says...
8:24am Sat 5 Nov 11

Certainly sounds like hes being made an example of because he happens to be a smoker; not only by the council but by the Press. What about posting a couple of these wardens in Liscard at lunchtime, when sniggering little oiks from local schools sit on benches eating their lunch, then throw their garbage on the floor because its too much effort to reach over and chuck it in the bin?
Good comment from PaulCa--the people who preside over these penalties are themselves guilty of far more heinous crimes, but remain seemingly untouchable, so lets have some consistency, please. Theres an oafish arrogance in our legislators that really doesnt inspire confidence.

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Truthisnews says...
12:49pm Sat 5 Nov 11

This person has only made news as they couldn't be bothered to get in touch with them or pay it then just complained to papers as they feel hard done by as they were fined for not attending court or whatever. Saw vid ty cheesypeas and the article has more info but even with that info as much as it's strict , every bit of that fine was deserved.

(smoker of 10 years)

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Spiffy says...
1:00pm Sat 5 Nov 11

Wirralrob wrote:
Yes should have been fined, but yes, lazy council should provide more bins.
Two bins directly between Primark and Poundland for this guy to dispose of his ciggy butt ....and the two about 20 feet away near the crossing....and the two further down by B&M....and the the two a little further on by McDonalds...is not sufficient ??

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Jimrob says...
6:25pm Sun 6 Nov 11

I have two points I would like to make about this story.
Point 1) Go to the corner of the Conway Building. The corner that has the Chinese all you can eat on the opposite corner. Go to the first door on the side street that is for employees of the Social Services Department and other Council staff. Check out all the giggy butts left by the "Authority Staff" CCTV camers=as are in opperation here. I don't recall ANY Council employee being taken to court.

Point 2) I laugh myself silly at all the posts from "Reformed smokers" and "Non smokers" all I can say to you all is this. You will be very sorry when everyone in the country has packed up smoking, for it is then, that you will all realise that it is us, smokers, that heve kept you all in the comfort and relatively tax free zone that you all inhabit.
I think we should begin fining mint suckers in public. and chewing gum users. Let's levi a 60% tax hike on chewing gum and mints. Then we would have a fairer tax system that will let the Non and Reformed smokers, pay the same tax as we have to. Let's see them all start **** then. Whilst we smokeres are adding comments to story's where a Chewing gum spitter has been fined £500.

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Jimrob says...
6:30pm Sun 6 Nov 11

I have no idea why the asterix's were placed in my last post, but I think it may have had something to do with sayiny that they would all start "Female Dogging".
Talk about censorship and Political correctness gone mad.

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Rob Blahzil says...
8:56pm Sun 6 Nov 11

Did the person who was fined give their real name and address? If I missed that detail, I`m sorry. If not, this whole debate is pointless. I ask because the other day, I overheard a person saying that he had been stopped and fined by a Proper Police Officer (a lady one at that) for riding his bike on the pavement. The name and address he supplied was false. ( a crime in itself). He was laughing as he had no intention of paying the fine. There will be some nasty letters going to a made-up address.
O.K.. Fag ends are everywhere outside buildings and if you could attach a fine to every one, there would be no shortfall in next years council deficit. That isn`t going to happen though. Imagine the riot if someone sat outside a pub taking pictures of fag-end dropping criminals...... Anyway, just a silly point...who dropped firework rockets in my back garden? There are three of them made of plastic and someone put them there. Litter depositing?
Fine people for riding on the pavement or down the pedestrian area (the clue is in the name) of our shopping centre. It`s dangerous. How many times have you stepped out of a shop to be nearly hit by some ***** riding their mountain bike? Are pavements mountains? Confiscate the bikes, especially those riding with no lights at night. It`s dangerous. A fag-end isn`t.

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bickyboy says...
9:05am Mon 7 Nov 11

Good point about the detritus from Bonfire Night, Rob. Yesterday morning I picked up the remains of a rocket from my garden: a ruddy great plastic tube that would have left a serious lump on my head had it fallen on me from several hundred feet. Good thing I was out at a firework party, firing rockets into someone else's garden instead.

Time to ban the use of fireworks by the public, as well as every other simple pleasure? Let the po-faced, self righteous legions of the Nanny State decide, because the rest of us sure dont have any say.

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whatdotheythinkweare says...
3:45pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Haven't watched the video posted but get the jist from comments made that the perpetrator was simply being lazy and could have used bins that were available in the vicinity, so I agree the fine was justified (£50). Its his own stupidity that raised it to £500.
...
Anyone who has been to Orlando won't see any litter at all... no butts, no packets, no tissues, no gum whatsoever... WHY?? because they provide butt-bins AND litter bins at EVERY entrance/exit to EVERY shop/bar/restaurant.
...
Since visiting the States I agree I should distinguish and dispose of the butts correctly... but how can I if sufficient facilities are unavailable??
...
Standard bins are not sufficient and are a fire hazard should a butt that hasn't been distinguished properly be thrown into such a bin. Would I be guilty of deliberate arson or arson by misadventure or something if my ciggy-butt were to alight the rubbish in the bin???
...
The council NEED TO PROVIDE suitable receptors for the butts EVERY 50 metres or so, and on EVERY commercial or Government building entrance. It is so frustrating when you WANT TO BE A GOOD CITIZEN but can't due to the lack of facilities!!
...
The law states smoking is no longer permitted in any public/commercial building, so have forced us OUTSIDE... Where are the ashtrays that used to be inside now?? Why haven't they been moved outside, even if for temporary period until replaced with suitable external ones??
...
Further to this... The more you force smokers to quit/cut down, the less taxes the Government will receive, which is fine by me... Joe public will pay more!
...
Furthermore, I agree there are A LOT MORE nuisances out there that should take priority; pavement cyclists, chewing gum, Fireworks (as they have been mentioned - a pet hate of mine), people who park illegally causing obstruction/hazard, general litter from commercial premises (ie takeaways)... I could easily go on!!
...
Even wet leaves on ground pose more hazardous than ciggy-butts, but what do the Council do... blow them to the kerb for the wind to blow them right back again... seen it over and over again... same street every week!! Totally ridiculous and a complete WASTE of public funds.
...
(slightly off topic)
Sack/Remove all those at the Council that have caused a substantial loss of funding through incompetence and replace with folk who can do the job properly and efficiently... there are hundreds unemployed who are capable of such positions. Either that or AUDIT ALL L.A. DEPARTMENTS NOW!!!!! Stop passing the BLAME and take responsibility for the community you WORK for!!
...
(Smoker for 20+ years)

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Michaela01 says...
4:41pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Clearly as 'dirty smokers' we're supposed to put cigarette butts in our pockets or walk round with an ashtray in our hands all day!? Maybe if they weren't such jobsworths and took an interest in REAL crimes that were happening, wirral wouldnt be such a ****hole!!!!

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Mr Bollo says...
4:57pm Tue 8 Nov 11

red devil wrote:
at least ciggie butts are biodegradable unlike the masses of semi plastic cups, burger boxes, drinking straws, and all the other paraphenalia left outside and within a hundred yards of McDonalds, KFC etc.
Cigarette butts are definitely not biodegradeable - do a bit of googling and you will soon find out how much environmental damage they cause.

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artc says...
8:12pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Michaela01, you don't get it do you, it's you that is smoking and causing the mess, it's you that should take your mess with you, why should the public have to put up you littering the pavements and gutters.

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Dantealighieri says...
8:48pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Most roads have ash trays every 20yds or so. You'll find them in a thing called a 'gutter' and they are called 'grids'. Stand above one, or bend down if your aim is not very good, drop the remains of your cigarette or cigar between the slats. There we are, job done, place nice and tidy, and it even extinguishes them, saves burning the ends of ones fingers.

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whatdotheythinkweare says...
8:54pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Artc... Do you take ALL apple cores, dirty nappies, dog-poop bags, nearly empty cans of pop, plastic/card coffee cups, sick-bags, messy tissues/wet wipes home with you?? NO!! So don't be ridiculous!! We need places to dispose of the rubbish we can't put in our bags/pockets to take home with us!!

I always try to be careful, and teach my kids not to litter either... which they are very responsible with, even at toddler age. But if I light up walking down the road how do I know if there will be a suitable disposal unit 5 mins down the road... its stupid to think we should put them in our pockets... its a fire hazard for starters...
...
And don't get me started on strong perfumes, they should be banned as they are also extremely invading!!!

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whatdotheythinkweare says...
8:54pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Artc... Do you take ALL apple cores, dirty nappies, dog-poop bags, nearly empty cans of pop, plastic/card coffee cups, sick-bags, messy tissues/wet wipes home with you?? NO!! So don't be ridiculous!! We need places to dispose of the rubbish we can't put in our bags/pockets to take home with us!!

I always try to be careful, and teach my kids not to litter either... which they are very responsible with, even at toddler age. But if I light up walking down the road how do I know if there will be a suitable disposal unit 5 mins down the road... its stupid to think we should put them in our pockets... its a fire hazard for starters...
...
And don't get me started on strong perfumes, they should be banned as they are also extremely invading!!!

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whatdotheythinkweare says...
9:02pm Tue 8 Nov 11

Mr Bollo wrote:
red devil wrote:
at least ciggie butts are biodegradable unlike the masses of semi plastic cups, burger boxes, drinking straws, and all the other paraphenalia left outside and within a hundred yards of McDonalds, KFC etc.
Cigarette butts are definitely not biodegradeable - do a bit of googling and you will soon find out how much environmental damage they cause.
Mr Bollo... The butt in question was a roly with no filter-tip... therefore this one in particular was biodegradable.
...
(I have watched the clip now)

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ConcernedRatePayer says...
7:38am Thu 10 Nov 11

Serves this miscreant right. Perhaps if he'd paid the initial and much reduced sum in the 1st instance, it would have saved him the extra money. Perhaps he might learn his lesson and not treat the streets as a huge dustbin next time !

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ConcernedRatePayer says...
7:39am Thu 10 Nov 11

Serves this miscreant right. Perhaps if he'd paid the initial and much reduced sum in the 1st instance, it would have saved him the extra money. Perhaps he might learn his lesson and not treat the streets as a huge dustbin next time !

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nivekd says...
2:54pm Thu 10 Nov 11

Can't we vary it a bit? Why always 'political correctness gone mad'? Let's have 'political madness gone correct' for a change. That would also cover the policies of the Tory government. If only they would go up in smoke to have their butts crushed on pavements by the heels of disgruntled citizens and then be discarded neatly in the adequate number of waste bins provided from an equitable tax system.

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nivekd says...
2:59pm Thu 10 Nov 11

Can't we vary it a bit? Why always 'political correctness gone mad'? Let's have 'political madness gone correct' for a change. That would also cover the policies of the Tory government. If only they would go up in smoke to have their butts crushed on pavements by the heels of disgruntled citizens and then be discarded neatly in the adequate number of waste bins provided from an equitable tax system.

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Ben Beaconsfield says...
6:47am Fri 11 Nov 11

Why not include Labour politicians, who until recently were in government for 13 years, during which time they presided over the 'inequitable tax system' referred to?

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TanyaC says...
4:33pm Fri 11 Nov 11

There are lots of bins in the area in question- in fact- if he was by Primarni, I can think of 3 bins that he could walk to in less than 30 seconds. It's not about walking around all day with cigarettes in your pocket (and you can get pouches for butts for about a quid....so you could do it) just find a bin, there are lots around.

People are just lazy...god forbid if smokers actually walk 100 yards to a bin. If you can't make it that far STOP SMOKING!

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Toryman says...
12:53pm Sun 13 Nov 11

Tough luck, Buster. Hopefully you won't be doing that again for a while. Litter is as much a pest as the people who cause it. I constantly see a never ending river of litter passing my garden that irresponsible people have discarded from a public car-park further up-river.
This man had plenty of time to pay his fine; perhaps he'd already spent his benefit on the offending cigarettes or some form of industrial-strength cider, or hopefully, our cuts had stopped his benefits,

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Rob Blahzil says...
9:17pm Sun 13 Nov 11

I`m still not clear on this. Did this sub-human, wretch of society, give his real name and address? I wouldn`t have. On any given day, there must be thousands of items of litter just thrown on the floor. Cyclists on the pavement. I`m not condoning this at all, but what was special about this "benefit scrounging alcoholic" (Toryman) that he was singled out? Was he only little and unthreatening? Is this whole story made up to scare people into putting their rubbish in a bin? Please explain? Most of the pollution seems to be coming out of peoples mouths.

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