I was fined £100 for throwing cigarette butt out car window – it’s so petty but it’s not my fault the town is a state
A FURIOUS woman has slammed a council for fining her £100 for dropping a cigarette butt on the floor - claiming they should be concentrating on “real problems”.
Caroline Dawson from Grimsby, North Lincs, said that she has never littered before and branded the fine as “petty”.
She wants North East Lincolnshire Council to be focusing on fly tipping and litter on the Nunsthorpe estate.
Ms Dawson had been driving her elderly parents car when she thew the butt out of the window in March.
Her parents then received a form through the post asking who had been driving the vehicle, and who was insured.
Caroline told Grimsby Live: "I don't think there were cameras, I think it must've been someone behind me doing surveillance.
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“It was about 3.30pm and I think I'd come from Aldi on Cleethorpe Road, and I was in my parent's car.
“They don't smoke, and I don't usually smoke in their car, but I had the one. I wound the window right down and I must've thrown the butt end out of the window and been caught on camera or by a surveillance person behind me.
"I do remember having a cigarette in the car but I was rushing around as I normally am. It's not something I'd usually do because in my partner's car, we use the ashtray.
“I wouldn't usually do that in their car, so just in that second of me doing that, I was caught.
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"My mum and dad were worried and they sent the form back to say it was me driving and not them, and now I'm just waiting to hear back.
“The actual form came from an enforcement place in Doncaster. It happened out of the blue days later.
"I did feel it's my bad luck because I just thought, one little butt end and a £100 fine.”
She wants the council to work harder on cleaning up her estate, rather than handing out fines for “petty” offences.
MS Dwason added: “What angers me is that I live on the Nunsthorpe, my partner lives on the Nunsthorpe, and there's so many other issues there. It does seem rather petty to get such a hefty fine.
HEFTY FINE
"Considering the state of a lot of streets and areas, not just the Nunsthorpe, the fly-tipping that goes on, I'm sure people do a hell of a lot worse and don't get caught, or it's not pursued.
"I've always been a law-abiding citizen, I don't throw rubbish or anything like that.
"I suppose if I'd have been flagged down at the time and it was pointed out, and it was something like a £20 or £30 fine on the spot, it would be different. It just seems so hefty.
"I admit the offence was a spur of the moment thing, but I'm angry at all the other offences taking place - bigger offences - that go undetected.
"While I agree with the deterrent, it's rather excessive when there are so many other issues that aren't being dealt with."
A North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson said: “Littering is an antisocial and criminal act and will not be tolerated. With 979 litter bins in convenient locations around the borough, you are never far from a bin.
“There is absolutely no excuse to drop litter, including cigarettes, anywhere in North East Lincolnshire and you should ensure your cigarette is fully extinguished before disposing of it.
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“People who drop litter make the place look unsightly and it is left for others to clean up after them.
“Enforcement officers routinely patrol the borough and anyone caught littering faces a £150 fine.”