Thanks to eagled eyed Barking and Dagenham Council enforcement officers, a driver from Newham has been fined over £800 for failing to disclose the details of the driver caught littering from his car.



On the 15 October 2020, while on patrol on the Heathway, Dagenham, enforcement officers witnessed the driver of a blue Mercedes dispose of a cigarette end from their window.



As officers were unable to identify the perpetrator there and then, they ran the car registration through the DVLA and discovered the vehicle belonged to Mr Andrzej Siwak.



He was then issued a notice in accordance with s.17 Greater London Council’s General Powers Act 1972, which required him to provide the details of the person who was driving at the time of the offence.



A person who fails to comply with the above notice is liable to prosecution for the offence for which the maximum fine is £1,000.



However, Mr Sjwak failed to respond and was summoned to Barkingside Magistrates Court on 24 August 2021, and he failed to attend.



In his absence, Mr Sjwak was found guilty and was ordered to pay a fine of £250, costs of £532 to Barking and Dagenham Council and a Victim Surcharge of £34.



Councillor Margaret Mullane, Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “How hard is it to use a bin? If the person who had dropped the cigarette had done just that, it would have saved a lot of officer time and the owner of the car wouldn’t have to stump up a huge amount of money.



“I’d like to thank the officers involved for witnessing the incident and acting so quickly to identify the individual. We won’t stand for anyone trying to turn our streets into a public dump.”