06 September 2023 , 06:59
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A man has been slapped with a hefty fine for throwing a fast-food bag from his car window.
Ellis Anthony Gibbs pleaded guilty to littering after he was spotted discarding a McDonald's bag in a leisure centre car park. His decision turned out to be a costly mistake as he was hauled into court and ordered to cough up a total of £243. Beverley Magistrates' Court imposed a fine of £100 on Gibbs, in addition to £100 in costs and a victim surcharge of £43.
The incident took place in the village of Anlaby, Kingston Upon Hull in September last year. CCTV captured Gibbs casually throwing the bag out of his car window and leaving it behind. Despite multiple attempts by East Riding Council to interview him, Gibbs consistently ignored their letters.
As a result, the case was escalated to court, reports Hull Live. Carl Skelton, East Riding Council's acting streetscene director, said there was no excuse for littering. He added: "Dumped waste like fast food bags is a problem everywhere. People can easily use a bin nearby or take their rubbish home, we'll take action against all littering cases when we can." Littering is considered an offence under the Environmental Protection Act. Offenders can be slapped with a £150 fixed penalty notice or face fines of up to £2,500 in court.
In the Haltemprice car park, locals have long been plagued by antisocial behaviour. Last December, a distressed mother voiced her concerns, stating that her young son was having difficulty sleeping due to the unruly and boisterous youths congregating in the area during the evenings. The woman painted a vivid picture of the situation, describing teenagers and young adults blasting loud music and engaging in impromptu races within the confines of the car park.
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The latest fine follows National Highways coming under increasing pressure to clean up the country’s road network. In April, Richard Holden, from the Department for Transport, revealed that just under 40% of National Highways roads were graded below B for litter, meaning significant levels of rubbish were found.
Freda Rashdi, head of customer journeys at the National Highways, previously said: “Littering is a social problem across the country and we’re working hard to tackle it on our roads. It includes using CCTV in A-road lay-bys to gather evidence to provide to local authorities, who can carry out enforcement. We’re also carrying out a trial to understand how message signs resonate with drivers to reduce motorway littering.”
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