Fine For Cigarette End

[laerol40]

Hi all

Just wondering, my sister has been given a £75 fine for putting a cigarette butt down a grid in the local park. Is this correct? It wasn't that she put it on the grass or threw it down. She tried to dispose of it responsiblely. Is this £75 fine correct? Just seems excessive.

[fiction-factory]

I think the grids are to take rain water. If it had been thrown on the pavement it may have ended up down the grid anyway. Sounds like littering to me
As an aside, I recently saw a member of staff come out of a shop and shove piles of wrappers/cardboard down a grid

[ubasses]

A lot of these grids have a 'pot' underneath that collect all the rubbish and let the water filter through into the drain. Council workers have to come out and clean them as they get blocked. So yes, I can see why they class that as littering.

[Old_Geezer]

Might it be a local park by-law ?
Gives one an incentive to either not smoke, if if one must, carry a tin or other container to keep the debris in until they get home.

[Mamyalynne]

It will be the going rate for the area, hard lesson - tell her to get a pocket ashtray.

I'm never without mine.

[ummmm]

Correct, yes.

[Peter Pedant]

why did she give her name and address to someone who did not have the power to require it ?

anyway it is done now ....

[Mamyalynne]

FPNs can be issued by many in the employ of Councils, Environment Agency etc.


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fixed-penalty-notices-issuing-and-enforcement-by-councils

[Bazile]

^^^

What if you just refuse and walk away ?

[Mamyalynne]

They would likely call for Police back up I imagine.

[hc4361]

Yes, they call the police and an additional fine can be added

"Call the police for assistance in the following cases:

the offender refuses to give you their details
you suspect the offender has given you false details
A police community support officer (PCSO) can detain the offender for up to 30 minutes before a police constable arrives.

The offender can be fined an additional amount on top of the FPN, if they refuse to give you details, or provide false details."

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/enforcement-officers-issuing-fixed-penalty-notices

[bednobs]

if the sitution is as described, it seems exceedingly harsh to me!

[Mamyalynne]

Could get more expensive or maybe it now has according to this report from January.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35212696

[ToraToraTora]

like all smokers they don't care where they leave their disgusting residue. Why not put it in a bin?? Yes throwing litter down a drain is littering and £75 is the standard fine.

[ToraToraTora]

...or perhaps they are trying to make these disgusting creatures behave in a civilised manner and actually use a bin. They seem incapable of not dropping their detritus on the floor even in designated smoking areas with a purpose built bin. I just can't fathom it.

[Mamyalynne]

All littering is unsightly and should be stopped - having said that I'd rather step on a spent dog end than last nights remains of a big mac.

[237SJ]

I`m quite surprised that anyone even bothered to fine her. I volunteer with a litter picking group and we go out once per month. There are so many fag ends around that I don`t bother to pick them up as there are much larger bits to pick up (mainly booze bottles and take away detrius)

[silliemillie]

Dom Littlewood has had a program on in the mornings showing just this. I think following smokers waiting for them to drop it is a bit OTT. (And I hate smoking).