A man from Hornchurch has been found guilty in court after he was caught by a Barking and Dagenham Council Enforcement Officer dropping a cigarette from the driver’s seat of the car he was driving.

On 17 September 2022 the officer witnessed the driver of a blue Mercedes Benz dispose of the cigarette at the traffic lights on Whalebone Lane North, Dagenham and drive off.

On further investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle was a courtesy car and at the time of the incident was registered to a Mr Abdul Hasad Chowdhury of Petworth Way, Hornchurch.

Mr Chowdhury was issued with a £150 Fixed Penalty Notice for littering as an offer to discharge liability from prosecution. However, he informed the officer that he wanted to appeal the fine on the basis he was driving a courtesy car and that it was a no smoking car, was not a regular smoker and was a vaper. He also suggested that he could not completely remember the event.

The appeal was rejected, and the case proceeded to court as Mr Choudhury still refused to pay.

The case was heard at Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday 20 June and the defendant was found guilty and ordered to pay a fine of £230, costs to Barking and Dagenham Council of £825 and a Victim Surcharge of £92, totalling £1,147.

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “Dropping a cigarette on the floor or on our roads may seem like a harmless crime, but there’s no such thing and littering is a criminal offence.

“We won’t stand for people littering our streets and making them dirty and we will always take action if we witness it. This one cigarette has now cost this man over £1,000.”