Fined £220...for throwing empty bottle from car

Kelly Beardsworth, 26, Amberbanks Grove, South Shore, was seen by a council anti-litter officer when she dropped the bottle from the car as it travelled down the Promenade in September last year at 6.40am. It is the first time a person has been prosecuted for dropping litter from a moving vehicle in the resort.

Victoria Cartmell, prosecuting for Blackpool Council, said council officer Stephen Roberts followed Beardsworth’s car onto a construction site.

She added: “She was issued with a £50 fixed penalty ticket which should be paid in 14 days. However, the ticket was not paid .

“She did not respond to a further letter so the defendant was summonsed to appear at court.”

Beardsworth, who admitted the offence brought under the Environment Act, said:”It was just a mistake.

“I am not usually a person who drops litter.

“I did not pay the original ticket because I put it to the back of my mind.

“My grandmother has just died and my head has been all over the place.”

She was fined £80 and ordered to pay £140 court costs.

Coun Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Littering is one of my biggest bugbears and I can’t stand people who throw rubbish on the ground with complete disregard for the cleanliness of the town.

“Our staff work really hard to keep Blackpool looking as tidy as possible but incidents like this just make it so much more difficult.

“When budgets are being squeezed we need everybody to play their part in keeping Blackpool clean and tidy.

“Nobody is ever too far from a litter bin or, in this instance, it’s not hard to keep 
the rubbish in your car and take it home with you to throw away.”