Two appear in court for littering offences in Telford

In the first case a man who threw away an empty bottle while walking along a town street was ordered to pay a total of £400 after he failed to respond to reminders to pay a fixed penalty.

Derek Carter, of Brindleyford, Brookside, was fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of £300 when the case was heard in his absence by Telford Magistrates today.

The court heard that a Community Support Officer was on patrol in the Hollinswood area of Telford in a marked vehicle on May 17 when he saw Mr Carter, who was walking with three other people, throw a plastic drinks bottle into the hedgerow opposite the junction with Dunsheath. The Community Support Officer approached the man and issued him with a fixed penalty notice.

Mr Carter failed to respond to the fixed penalty and subsequent reminders and the case was brought before Telford Magistrates.

Man fined for throwing notice onto pavement
The court also heard the case of Mehmet Karatas, of Houlston Close, St Georges, who received a six month conditional discharge and was ordered to pay costs of £75 for ripping up a warning notice and throwing it onto the pavement.

The court heard that a Community Support Officer was on patrol in the Dothill area of Telford on April 17.

He saw a vehicle illegally parked near a school. He issued a warning notice for the illegal parking which he fixed under the vehicle’s windscreen wiper. Mr Karatas returned, removed the notice, and was seen to rip it up and throw it onto the pavement.

Mr Karatas was then issued with a fixed penalty notice for littering.

Mr Karatas did not pay the fixed penalty and chose to have the matter dealt with by the court. The case was brought before Telford Magistrates.

The Council spends approximately £2 million per year on street cleaning to help keep the borough clean.