Archived press release

Date Published: 21/12/07

A man caught dropping a cigar butt in Aylesbury has been fined £200 after failing to pay a fixed penalty littering fine. Vincent Booth, 38, of Somerville Way, Aylesbury, was taken to court by Aylesbury Vale District Council yesterday (20 De...

A man caught dropping a cigar butt in Aylesbury has been fined £200 after failing to pay a fixed penalty littering fine.

Vincent Booth, 38, of Somerville Way, Aylesbury, was taken to court by Aylesbury Vale District Council yesterday (20 December) for the offence of littering under the Environment Protection Act.

A Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) had spotted Mr Booth dropping a cigar butt in Buckingham Street on 28 August 2007. He was issued with a fixed penalty notice for the offence but failed to pay the £75 fine.

Mr Booth, who pleaded guilty, was fined £200 by Aylesbury Magistrates and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and £288 towards costs incurred by the council as part of its investigation in to this offence.

This is the first time that a fixed penalty littering fine issued by a PCSO in Aylesbury Vale has resulted in a court appearance. Mr Booth’s littering fine is also the first to be issued since the council adopted new powers under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act.

Under the council’s new enforcement policy, any person that commits the offence of littering will on the first instance be provided with the opportunity to avoid prosecution through the payment of a £75 fixed penalty notice. If after the expiry of 14 days, payment fails to be received, legal action will be taken.

Thames Valley Police’s PCSOs are authorised to issue the fixed penalty notices to offenders on behalf of the council. Some council officers are also authorised to issue the penalty notices.

AVDC has taken many steps to ensure local residents are educated about the consequences of committing environmental crimes. The council has issued leaflets, put posters on bus shelters, and advertised on local radio. It has also issued a number of free combination pocket ashtrays/gum pouches (Stubbis) to readers of the District Link magazine.

The council spends more than £1 million every year cleaning up the district’s streets and open spaces. Last year alone some £20,000 was spent removing chewing gum from pavements in Aylesbury town centre.

Councillor Kevin McPartland, Cabinet Member for Civic Amenities at AVDC, said: “As this prosecution proves, the council will not tolerate the dropping of litter and will not hesitate to pursue those who do. It can’t be right that the majority of residents should have to pay the additional cost of cleaning up after these people, who show no respect for the environment in which we live. The issuing of fixed penalty notices for dropping litter will hopefully deter those responsible and make our streets and open spaces cleaner for everyone.”

Superintendent Richard Auger, Local Police Area Commander for Aylesbury Vale, said: “The police work very closely with our partners in making our communities safe and attractive places to live. We know that an untidy environment can give the perception that the neighbourhood is a ‘run down crime zone’. This is why it is important that we keep our communities tidy and prosecute those people who can’t be bothered to put their rubbish in the bin. This is also a good use of our PCSO’s who do have powers to prosecute people who commit this sort of low level anti-social behaviour.”