A commercial vehicle driver has been fined £60 after an offence of littering was caught on a hidden camera.
Babergh District Council’s Environmental Protection Team uses hidden CCTV cameras to deter people from fly-tipping and littering by placing the camera in known hotspots and monitoring the footage.
And while reviewing camera footage recorded at a hotspot in the parish of Freston, in February, Babergh’s enforcement officers witnessed the driver throw litter out of the window of a lorry and then drive off.
The driver was traced with the assistance of the company responsible for the vehicle, and faced with the evidence against him, admitted his actions and chose to accept a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) of £60 as an alternative to prosecution.
Malcolm Firth, Babergh’s Head of Natural and Built Environment, said: “Babergh takes a zero tolerance approach to littering and we are pleased to be using our hidden CCTV cameras as an additional means of deterring and catching offenders.
“There is no excuse for littering, especially from vehicles, and we hope that by raising awareness of this incident, other drivers will think twice before committing a litter offence.
“The message is quite clear - if you are in a vehicle and have some litter to dispose of, either put it in a litter bin or take it home.”
This is the second year Babergh has successfully used this technology to take formal enforcement action for a littering offence - with a similar incident being caught on CCTV last year in Great Cornard, which also resulted in the driver receiving a fine.
The FPN was issued just as Babergh was about to start its annual Spring Clean programme, which is supporting BBC Radio Suffolk’s Don’t Be A Tosser 2010 campaign.
As part of the clean-up a number of parishes across the district have been taking part in litter picks to tidy up their community.
As well as litter picks, Babergh is urging the public to adopt-an-area of Babergh – and has 100 litter grabbers and high-visibility vests, at a maximum of five per parish, to give away to individuals who will pledge to take part in regular litter patrols.
Babergh is also offering an amnesty on charging for the surrender and disposal of unwanted vehicles during its Spring Clean.
For the six weeks Babergh will waive its £36 fee. This initiative is being run by our Environmental Protection section and anyone who would like to take advantage of this offer should email environmental.protection@babergh.gov.uk or call 01473 826623.
For further information on what you can do to help keep your district clean and tidy, please visit Babergh’s website: http://www.babergh.gov.uk/.
If you would like to organise a community litter pick in your area and borrow our equipment – or take advantage of the adopt-an-area litter pickers - please contact our Open Space section by emailing open.space@babergh.gov.uk or by calling 01473 826654. ENDS
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