Smoker ordered to pay £731 for throwing a cigarette butt out a car window in Cambridge

A smoker has been ordered to pay a total of £731 after throwing a cigarette out of a car window in Cambridge.

Daniel Newton, of Humphrey Close, Barton Seagrave, in Northamptonshire, was prosecuted by Cambridge City Council for littering from a car - a criminal offence under section 87/88 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Newton was spotted discarding the cigarette from the window of a black Volkswagen in Mansel Way, King’s Hedges, in March 2022 by the council’s enforcement officers.

He claimed the cigarette he discarded was biodegradable, but the matter was referred to the court.

Newton entered a guilty plea and was fined a total of £150, based on the amount a fixed penalty notice would have been. He was also ordered by Cambridge magistrates to pay a contribution to the council’s costs of £365 and a £33 victim surcharge.

Cllr Rosy Moore, executive councillor for climate change, environment and city centre, said: “Our residents want our city to be kept as clean as possible and all levels of environmental crime are to be taken very seriously.

“There are many unsung heroes helping to keep their own communities clean and tidy. It is a shame that some ruin it for others, so it is only right that we take action against those who choose to litter.

“Cigarette butts may be small, but they are made of a form of plastic which takes up to 10 years to degrade. They are full of toxic chemicals which are harmful to the environment, including birds and aquatic life, if they wash into our waterways.

“Littering is a crime, and we will continue to act against those who feel this behaviour is appropriate. I urge anyone who witnesses littering to report it to us so that action can be taken.”

To report littering, go to cambridge.gov.uk/report-litter.