A campaign by Waltham Forest Council to hold people to account for spitting in the street was put to the test for the first time. Thames Magistrates Court found two individuals guilty after the Council prosecuted them using the same powers used to enforce against litter – endorsing their decision and opening the way for other councils to follow suit.
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Khasheem Kiah Thomas of Clarence Road, E5, was handed a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) in Lea Bridge Road, Leyton on 20 February this year, just a few weeks after the Council announced it was extending issuing FPNs to people caught spitting in a public place.
Seven days later Zilvinus Vitkas of Beechworth Road, IG3 was caught for the same crime in Bromley Road, Walthamstow. Both men failed to appear at court this afternoon and were found guilty in their absence.
The Magistrates hit each of them in the pocket for £300 a piece, made up of £160 fine and £20 victim surcharge whilst also awarding costs to the Council in both cases to the tune of £120.
“I am absolutely thrilled that the courts have backed our tough stance on this issue and have recognised the huge groundswell of opinion that is firmly behind our initiative to put an end to this disgusting habit,” said Councillor Clyde Loakes, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment.
“Spitting in public is a foul habit and simply not acceptable on the streets of Waltham Forest in this day and age. We made a decision to use the powers we have at our disposal to crack down on this most unsavoury behaviour.”
“We’ve been issuing £80 fines to people since February, but this is the first time a case has reached the courts. The Magistrates didn’t hesitate to concur with us that spitting could be classified as litter.”
In July Waltham Forest Council launched its ‘Don’t Mess with Waltham Forest’ campaign that targets six forms of enviro-crime – spitting, litter, urination, dog mess, cigarette butts and takeaway litter. For each an £80 fine can be handed out by enforcement officers.
In order to bolster the effectiveness of the enforcement campaign, the Council also approached the Police, who agreed to have all their PCSOs issue FPNs to individuals they catch.
The campaign was launched off the back of three years of work to clean up Waltham Forest. “Our residents made it very clear to us that a clean borough was a priority and we have been working extremely hard to achieve that in all sorts of ways in recent years,” explained Cllr Loakes.
“More recently spitting recurred again and again in feedback from residents as an issue they wanted to see addressed. When we announced we would be handing out FPNs for spitting I received a huge amount of correspondence from both people in the borough and individuals further afield supporting our stance.
“I have also been contacted by a number of other Councils who were interested to understand our approach and adopt it themselves. I think now we have tested this in the courtroom and been successful, many of those councils will be following our lead. Spitters everywhere beware!”
