Five people are counting the cost of littering after being hit with fines and court fees totalling almost £1,600.
The five were summoned to appear before Consett Magistrates Court after failing to pay Fixed Penalty Notices issued by neighbourhood wardens from Durham County Council.
Stefan Janson, 22, of Woodside Grove, Tantobie, did not attend court but was found guilty of dumping household waste and food packaging on land behind his home.
Mandy Scott, 27, of Colt Park Hamsterley, near Ebchester, who also failed to attend court, was found guilty of littering after household waste at the rear of her home was found to contain correspondence containing her address.
Neala Rebecca Fenton, of Bay Court, Ushaw Moor, and Lyndsey Maddison, of Malvern Terrace, South Stanley, both failed to pay Fixed Penalty Notices which they received for dropping litter.
Fenton, 31, was stopped by a neighbourhood warden after dropping litter in Durham Market Place, while Maddison, 30, was seen littering between the end of Mendip Terrace and Burnside Primary School, Stanley. Neither attended court.
All four defendants were fined £200 and ordered to pay £130 in legal costs and a victim surcharge of £15.
Alan Million, 45, of the Market tavern, South Burns, pleaded guilty by post to littering after a neighbourhood warden gave him a Fixed Penalty Notice for dropping litter at the entrance to Durham bus station, in the city’s North Road.
Taking into account his income and early guilty plea, Million was fined £55 and ordered to pay £130 in legal costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
Oliver Sherratt, Durham County Council’s head of direct services, said: “Littering of our streets is a key concern for residents. While we undertake education and awareness programmes, we do also issue fines as a last resort to the minority who wilfully spoil our environment.
“These cases illustrate the importance of taking fixed penalty notices seriously, as those who fail to pay will end up in court.”
