Litter fine dodge proves costly.

A Saltburn woman, who refused to pay fixed penalty fines for dumping black rubbish bags in a back alley in Saltburn, has now been ordered to pay four times the original fine after being taken to court by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. The woman was prosecuted for leaving black rubbish bags in the alley at the back of her flat in the town's Pearl Street, an area that has recently suffered problems with fly tipping. She was offered the opportunity to pay the £50 fine, accepted it at the time, but never paid. Now Langbaurgh East Magistrates Court in Guisborough has ordered her to pay a £100 fine and £100 costs. The Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Councillor Joyce Benbow, said: "These are strict laws which we are determined to enforce whenever we can. We have given these powers, and our responsibilities, extensive publicity, and no-one can have any excuse for not being aware of the consequences if they choose to drop any form of litter." The Council's Community Safety Warden Service Manager Van Niekerk underlined the determination of the service to fine people under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or Section 3 (1) of the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996. He explained, "Depending on the severity of the offence, our Community Safety Wardens will take action, either by offering a fixed penalty notice or the person could be taken straight to court and prosecuted. And if people do not accept the fixed penalty, we will also prosecute to enforce our powers."