Fine for failing to give details over littering case

Saqib Iftikhar of Stratford Road, Luton, was found guilty at Luton Magistrates Court on Thursday and fined £200, ordered to pay costs of £1,020 and a victim’s surcharge of £30.

On the evening of Wednesday 12 July 2017, a CCTV operator spotted a male driver in a silver Volkswagen Golf parked in the White Lion Retail Park in Dunstable.

The driver was observed to throw several food packets from the driver’s window onto the ground of the car park.

Enforcement officers reviewed the footage and Iftikhar was written to, he replied stating the vehicle was being driven by a Luton woman at the time of the incident.

Iftikhar was invited to attend two separate interviews and was sent two requests for the details of the person driving the vehicle. He failed to attend either of the interviews or fully complete the questionnaires.

Despite the fact that he was not charged with a littering offence, Iftikhar was summoned to court for obstructing council enforcement officers by not providing them with the information requested to allow them to investigate the offence further.

Councillor Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Community Services, said: “It’s a shame that this man felt the need to obstruct enforcement officers from doing their job and prosecuting the correct person for the litter offence.

“Whilst this may seem a small misdemeanour, littering is an unsightly, unhygienic menace and costs tax payers a considerable amount of money to clean up. Good citizens know the importance of recycling rubbish and keeping their surroundings clean and tidy.

“Residents can help us reduce this crime by reporting any incidents of fly tipping or littering to our customer services team on 0300 300 8302 or by email at [email protected].”