Crawley resident's hefty fine after dropping a cigarette, giving a false address and not paying Fixed Penalty Notice

This is the second resident successfully prosecuted by Crawley Borough Council for giving a false address to Community Wardens.

In August 2020, the Crawley resident was seen dropping a cigarette butt and not picking it up in The Martlets by a Community Warden. The warden issued a £50 on-the-spot FPN for littering but was given a false address.

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At Crawley Magistrates’ Court in April, the resident was found guilty of two offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. She was:

-Fined £200 for dropping the cigarette butt

- Fined £300 for giving a false address

- Ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £50

- Ordered to pay full prosecution costs of £252

The Chair of the Magistrates said that he was very pleased that there were local authority officers willing to follow through those who provide false information.

The Community Wardens patrol the whole of Crawley and anyone dropping litter can be issued with a FPN. The council may prosecute those who do not pay the FPN or give false information.

Councillor Gurinder Jhans, Cabinet member for Environmental Services and Sustainability, said: “I’m pleased that council officers pursued this case. Dropping litter is lazy, anti-social and will never be tolerated, while giving a false address has increased this person’s punishment by more than 16 times.”

For more information about the council’s Community Wardens visit crawley.gov.uk/community/protecting-crawley/community-wardens