News

Magistrates have ordered a Dacorum resident to pay £866 for dropping a cigarette butt in Hemel Hempstead.

On 26 July 2022, Nicola Smith, of Ebberns Road in Hemel Hempstead, was seen by a District Enforcement Enviro-Crime Officer dropping and leaving a cigarette butt in London Road, Hemel Hempstead. She was issued with a fixed penalty notice (FPN) of £80 for the offence but no payment was made.

Using the Single Justice Procedure, Smith was prosecuted for the offence on 9 January 2023 at East Berkshire Magistrates' Court in Slough. However, after the conviction, the defendant made an application to the courts to reopen the case. 

The case was heard at St Albans Magistrates' Court on 22 November 2023. Smith failed to attend the hearing and the case was proved in her absence. She was sentenced to pay a total of £866, which consisted of a £440 fine, £250 costs and a victim surcharge of £176.

Cllr Robin Bromham, our Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhood Operations, said: “Keeping Dacorum litter-free is everyone’s responsibility, by not dropping litter and putting your rubbish in the bins provided.

“We will follow up on all unpaid FPNs by seeking to take further action for non-payment via the courts.”

For further information on offences enforced by District Enforcement and Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs), please visit our District Enforcement page.