Prosecution for Littering

On 24th November 2003 at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court, Mr. Luke Brownhill pleaded guilty to an offence of depositing litter (an empty Sprite can) on the highway in contravention of Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. He was also found guilty of another related offence in relation to an empty "Greggs" bag.

The facts are that on 6th June 2003 at approximately 1.50 p.m. Council officers saw Mr. Brownhill on Pride Hill drinking from a can of Sprite and eating some food in a bag labelled "Greggs". The Defendant deposited the Sprite can and the bag in a "Planter" (a permanent flower or shrub bed) on Pride Hill. The Defendant left the can and bag there and went into a shop. The Council officers waited outside the shop and saw the Defendant leave it. While on Pride Hill the Defendant was approached by the Council officers and issued with a fixed penalty notice in relation to leaving the litter (the can and the bag). The notice required the Defendant to pay a fine of £50. If this fine of £50 had been paid within 14 days then the Council would have taken no further action against Mr. Brownhill. The Defendant failed to pay the fine.

Mr. Brownhill wrote to the Court and apologised for the offence. He stated that he would not litter in the future. Mr. Brownhill also stated to the Court that he had given the Council officers a false name when they issued him with the fixed penalty notice; he informed the Court that this was because the officers were not in uniform. He informed the officers that his address was 13 Greenfield Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 2QD.

The Court took into account the Defendant’s early guilty plea and the information they had regarding his financial situation and fined the Defendant £70. He was also ordered to pay a contribution towards the Council’s costs of £50.

John Hosker, Assistant Solicitor
Tel. 01743 281049