Plymouth pair ordered to pay more than £3,000 after throwing litter from car
Pair were caught throwing rubbish and nitrous oxide canisters on CCTV
A pair of young men have been ordered to pay nearly £3,400 after they were caught throwing litter out of their car onto a street in Plymouth.
Tayla Scarff drove down Benbow Street in his white BMW with Kalen McLuskie in the passengerf seat before pulling up near the pavement in June 2021.
The 21-year-old then wound down the driver-side window, before the pair threw litter and empty nitrous oxide canisters onto the pavement.
Moments later, Scarff opened his door and left a fast-food box on the street, along with other rubbish, before driving off.
The pair were caught after a resident found the rubbish on the pavement outside their house and checked their private CCTV.
They then sent this to Plymouth City Council's environmental enforcement team, who were able to identify the vehicle and its owner through the DVLA.
Mr Scarff was then interviewed under caution, where he confirmed he was the driver and identified his 22-year-old friend in the passenger seat.
'A completely avoidable offence'
Littering is normally dealt with by a fixed penalty notice, but the council decided due to the amount of items littered and the fact gas canisters and fast food packaging are "regularly thrown from vehicles all over the city", the offences should result in prosecution.
Neither of the pair attended court, but Mr Scarff pleaded guilty by post while McLuskie was found guilty in absence.
Scarff was ordered to pay a fine of £1,026, costs of £335 and a victim surcharge of £103, while McLuskie was fined £1,400, ordered to pay £355 in costs and a £140 victim surcharge.
Both now have criminal records and must pay all the money within 28 days.
Councillor Maddi Bridgeman, Cabinet member for the Environment and Street Scene, said: "When we are presented with hard evidence of environmental crime, we are not afraid to act.
"These are big fines for a completely avoidable offence so I'm pleased that we have been able to make an example of these men in court.
"Littering out of car windows is the epitome of laziness and it will not be tolerated in this city. These guys now have to pay over £1,000 each. Keeping their litter in their car would have been free."