Not lovin’ it: Grimsby man fined for throwing suspected McDonald’s paper bag out of car window

The Council’s CCTV system captured a person throwing litter, which resembled a McDonald’s brown paper bag, out of the window of a car travelling on Park Street, Grimsby.

Following investigation by the Environmental Enforcement Team, the man was identified and issued a £150 fine for breach of Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

A fine was issued and was paid in full a few days later. Those who do not pay the fine can be summoned to court as part of the Single Justice Procedure (SJP).

This allows magistrates’ courts to deal with minor offences more efficiently and quickly.

Here, a single magistrate and legal adviser can determine punishment for non-imprisonable offences such as littering.

Between January 2022 and January 2024, 700,000 criminal cases were completed through this process across the country. These cases do not require the defendant to appear in person, allowing them to plead online.

Ultimately, this speeds up the process and allows for large-scale offences, such as littering, to be dealt with quickly and easily.

Councillor Ron Shepherd, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “Littering is not something the Council take lightly, and this incident is the perfect example. We will not tolerate anyone flouting the law.” He added: “I would also like to express my thanks to all the teams involved.”

To report any issues with littering in your area, visit Report it | NELC

Members of the public can submit CCTV or dashcam footage of littering to communityprotection@nelincs.gov.uk.