A Tonypandy resident has been forced to cough up the largest smoking fine so far in Rhondda Cynon Taf! It was a very pricey cigarette for Mr Gethin Richards as he has been fined £560 for thoughtlessly throwing his cigarette butt on to the highway on Cowbridge Road, Pontyclun.
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Mr Richards of Clydach Road, Clydach Vale, Tonypandy was caught in the act by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Streetcare Enforcement Team.
The dedicated team are out in force on foot, bikes and in cars across the County Borough ready to catch offenders, as Mr Richards has recently found out.
The Enforcement Officers continue a comprehensive crackdown on litter, dog fouling, flyposting, flytipping, graffiti, cigarette butts and waste issues throughout the County Borough. This is to ensure that Rhondda Cynon Taf will be a clean, green and safe community for everyone to live, work and visit.
Mr Richards, aged 30 was prosecuted under the Environmental Protection Act, Section 87 for discarding his cigarette butt onto the public highway as he approached an ATM cash machine.
A member of the Council’s Streetcare Enforcement Team was in the area and witnessed Mr Richards thoughtlessly throwing the butt onto the floor and failed to pick it up. Mr Richards was then approached by the team and issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 and was informed that he had committed a litter offence.
Mr Richards failed to pay the fine and the case was referred to Pontypridd Magistrates Court and as the defendant failed to appear, the case was dealt with in his absence.
If Mr Richards had contacted the Council’s Street Care Team he could have avoided this escalated cost by pleading guilty to the enforcement team and paying the fixed penalty notice, instead he was found guilty for his actions in court and fined £400, ordered to pay £120 costs £30 and a £40 victim surcharge – a total of £560.
“Littering of any kind is illegal and is a common problem throughout the area of Rhondda Cynon Taf. This can have a detrimental impact on the environment and residents overall wellbeing, said Nigel Wheeler, Service Director for Streetcare at Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.
”We all have a right to live in a clean, green environment and the Council is committed to ensuring that those who jeopardise this with thoughtless acts will face the consequences. As well as creating unsightly environmental conditions, the clean up costs leave a financial burden on the local authority and the taxpayer.
“The Streetcare Enforcement Team will do all in its power to eradicate this type of behaviour in the Country Borough in an effort to make Rhondda Cynon Taf a clean and safe place to live, work and visit.”
Since April 2012 a whopping £43,950 has been recovered from 586 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) which were issued to individuals who committed acts of environmental crime, which include, dog fouling, fly tipping, littering and cigarette butts. These fines could have been avoided if they had simply placed their litter, cigarette butts or dog mess in the bins provided by the Council.
During the same period the Council’s Enforcement Wardens issued 9079 warning letters in a bid to encourage residents to learn the error of their ways and think twice before they commit the eco-crime!
All the revenue generated from the FPNs are invested back into frontline services, to further improve our County Borough and respond to the priority issues our residents have identified.
The message is clear – eco-criminals in Rhondda Cynon Taf will not be tolerated!
