FPN for litter

[edwardw]

Whilst working in darlington i recieved a FPN for littering

Whilst i did drop a cigarette on the floor, i believe i was on private property whilst doing it.

I have 2 days to appeal it, otherwise it goes up by £25

Now looking at the letter, they have spelt my surname incorrectly.

Does this give me more grounds to appeal?

 

Thanks

[Conniff]

You need to zoom around to confirm your suspicion this was on private ground before your time expires.

[marmaris30]

I wouldn't mind £25 for every cigarette butt and sweet wrapper dropped by littering passers-by on my property!

[Conniff]

The thing is though it is soley a money making thing and has nothing at all to do with litter. If dog ends were a problem, the world would be hundreds of feed deep in them by now but they break down naturally and disappear,.

[ihateyes]

personally i have no time for smokers who think its okay to drop a fag butt to the ground weather its on private property or not. im sure in your house your floor isnt littered with fags butts?

[Conniff]

We could all say that, but that's not the issue here

[Ganymede]

The thing is though it is soley a money making thing and has nothing at all to do with litter. If dog ends were a problem, the world would be hundreds of feed deep in them by now but they break down naturally and disappear,.

 

 

They may break down but they also release nicotine and other toxins into the water/ground as the do so which can harm wildlife.

[Conniff]

That still has nothing to do with litter.

Do the council use the fine to come and clean up the ground? NO

Does anyone come and pick up the litter after the notice has been issued? NO

 

It's just about making money.

[marmaris30]

Penalties like this are meant to save the council and the rest of us from having picking up other people's litter in the first place. If nobody dropped litter then nobody would make any money out of it, so perhaps this should be the object of your annoyance!!

[Conniff]

If nobody dropped litter, they would gather their think-tank in the little room out the back and work out some other way they could con money out of the public.

[morrit]

Private property or not, if you dont have permission to deposit litter on the ground yoh are committing an offence...

[sequenci]

Private property or not, if you dont have permission to deposit litter on the ground yoh are committing an offence...

 

Source?

[Surfer01]

How did they find out your name and address? Can you post up a copy of the FPN? Was it issued by the council of a private company?

[morrit]

Source?

Environmental Protection Act 1990 s87....

[sequenci]

Environmental Protection Act 1990 s87....

 

Thanks, but seems not to include private areas - unless, of course, I'm missing something (and I often do!)

[morrit]

It does include private areas as well.

 

 

A common misconception is that littering is only if it;s on public land.

Key part of the legislation actually states littering or depositing waste is illegal 'In or on any land' unless authorised to do so.

 

 

End of the day, if someone throws a fag butt into your garden, would you consider it littering?

However, if you said to that person

'Yes, go ahead and throw it onto my garden' then that's NOT littering as you have given permission to do so..

.So ask yourself

 

 

'did I get permission to deposit my waste onto their land for them to clear up?'

If the answer is 'yes' then no crime has been committed.

 

 

If you walked ont their land, couldn;t find a bin and thought 'ah well, it;s not like it matters' then yes you commit a crime.

 

 

Also, another common defence 'it's biodegradeable'.

Well...EVERYTHING is bio degradeable...

a plastic bottle may take hundreds of years

, but it will eventually biodegrade...

still littering.

.. just like an apple core will take weeks.

.. still littering..

 

 

. I know no one has said anything like that but just for future interest.

People should be more responsible with their waste...

[biggeorge]

Lol fpn for a cig butt, I would be writing back and asking for proof of claim and evidence of claim, or just tell them to FO.

 

George

[morrit]

If they have evidence (statement, CCTV footage etc) then an authority (police or council) aren't obliged to provide you with proof... not until the prosecution. Then it's too late and it's the magistrate that decides whether you are guilty or not. You either did it or you didn't.