A smoker who was fined £833 for throwing a cigarette butt down a drain has branded his treatment by police as ‘disgraceful’.
Carl Smith was caught disposing of his rollie by a council enforcement officer while out clothes shopping in Bromley, South London, on May 23.
A 31-year-old man from New Addington in Croydon found himself in legal trouble when he challenged a £100 fine for littering, stating he believed his actions did not constitute littering.
He pleaded guilty at Bromley Magistrates’ Court yesterday on the understanding that he would get 30 percent off his court costs.
But he was horrified to discover today that his fine had rocketed eight-fold — and he claims the council hadn’t even told him.
Describing the event, the man, referred to as Mr. Smith, recounted to MailOnline: ‘I had just left Zara, was walking to another store, decided to light up a cigarette, threw the butt into a drain. However, an enforcement officer insisted it was dropped on the pavement.
‘I disposed of it in a drain, and in response, I was assaulted by one of the officers. He grabbed me, preventing me from leaving, and issued a £100 fine on the spot.’
‘I told him ‘how are you going to give me a fine if you have no evidence?’ I threw the cigarette down a drainpipe, it’s not littering. He didn’t want me going anywhere so he put his arm around me and he goes ‘now I’m filming you’.
Carl Smith (pictured) was caught disposing of his rollie by a council enforcement officer while out clothes shopping in Bromley, South London , on May 23
Mr Smith appealed and was ordered to Bromley Magistrates’ Court last week where he decided to plead guilty hoping he would get 30 percent off his court costs
‘There was a guy who threw an e-cigarette on the floor right in front of him [the enforcement officer] and he didn’t do nothing.
‘I think it’s disgraceful, really. I’m fuming.’
Mr Smith dropped the cigarette butt in Market Square and was fined for breaching Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act.
He stormed into Bromley Council’s offices to complain before receiving a letter in the post ordering him to pay his £100 fine within 31 days but he refused.
‘When they sent me the letter there was no evidence, I said I’m not paying it because I didn’t do anything wrong’, he added.
Mr Smith appealed and was ordered to Bromley Magistrates’ Court last week where he decided to plead guilty hoping he would get 30 percent off his court costs.
But the court instead ordered Mr Smith – who was not in court – to pay £833, consisting of a £293 fine, £117 surcharge and £423 in costs.
Mr Smith has been left devastated with the news and said he didn’t even know he’d been fined until MailOnline approached him.
Bromley Council have prosecuted three people in recent months for dropping cigarette butts
He said he will have to pay the penalty via a payment plan as he only earns £1,500-month.
The 31-year-old added: ‘From a £100 fine to nearly £900. That’s eight times the money. It’s disgraceful. This is how bad Bromley Council is.
‘I don’t know when they’re going to take the money out. If Bromley Council had done their job right, they’d be making fines everyday but they don’t.
‘He shouldn’t have been grabbing people. I think I’m going to appeal it.’
Bromley council have now prosecuted 12 people for littering since the start of September, with offenders paying £6,129 and have warned more could follow for those who do not pay their initial fine.
The council said they serve as a ‘warning to others to not discard unwanted items in the street, but to place them in a litter bin or take rubbish home’.
Last month a woman in Lewisham and a man in Orpington were ordered to pay £731 for dropping cigarette butts in the borough earlier in the year.
Conservative Councillor Angela Page, Executive Councillor for Public Protection and Enforcement told the Evening Standard: ‘We have no desire to prosecute anyone, but littering is a serious problem and a criminal offence, with street cleaning costs running into millions.’
She added: ‘We would encourage everyone to find a litter bin or take their rubbish home as we need to put a stop to littering in our borough. When our enforcement officers witness littering, a fixed penalty notice is issued, and prosecution will follow if this is not paid.’
A Bromley Council spokesperson said: ‘On behalf of residents, the council has street-cleaning teams working seven days a week across the borough, keeping our streets neat.
‘Littering undoes this work and is illegal, with our enforcement team issuing a fixed penalty notice to anyone seen littering.
‘If payment is not received then prosecution will follow, with fines and costs being considerably higher than the fixed penalty notice.’
Mr Smith pleaded guilty at Bromley Magistrates’ Court and was ordered to pay a fine of £293, a surcharge of £117 and £423 in court costs, racking up a court bill of £833.
