jackies

I hold my hands up to the fact that i dropped my cigarette in the street and that therefore i was littering, but i feel that £50 is excessive. Edinburgh council could surely employee these people to do a more useful job than sitting hiding behind bushes watching people.
I know what i did was wrong and i know that people will probably say that i got what i deserved and that smoking is disgusting. This is only IMHO

the moose

Nope, a £50 fine for littering is entirely appropriate. Why should I, or anyone else, pay for streets to be swept just because people are too selfish to use a bin to dispose of their rubbish?

Litter is a nuisance, and people feel strongly about it. A litter warden is just as much of a waste of time as a traffic warden, but if people won't obey perfectly sensible rules, they have to be persuaded so to do.

I bet you'll think twice about dropping a *** end in the future, won't you?

unclebuck

A 10 pager coming up...

shaunywrx

Yes it is a bit harsh really, especially for a first offence, do they provide ashtrays in public places for people to use? If there's ample ashtrays, then fair enough you should have used them, but if theres's no ashtrays what are you supposed to do? Drop your *** end in a bin and just hope it's extinguished properly, after all its's not illegal (yet) to smoke in public.
P.S. I am a non-smoker.

unclebuck

Clearly smoking in public places should be banned along with eating crisps, take-aways and soft drinks.

Petem95

Shouldve been £50 fine plus some community service cleaning up litter IMO.

KiwiGTI

Why employ the people doing something else when they probably cover their wages and more by catching people like you?

shaunywrx

Litter is a nuisance, and people feel strongly about it. A litter warden is just as much of a waste of time as a traffic warden, but if people won't obey perfectly sensible rules, they have to be persuaded so to do.

Yes, excactly why could'nt the litter warden explain and then persuade the person to use a suitable bin or ashtray, i bet they would'nt be so quick to dish out a fine to a group of drunken yobs dropping beer cans everywhere, my guess is it's just an easy target to make more cash for the local council, i wonder if the wardens are on a bonus scheme, like a lot of traffic wardens are nowadays.

Tiggs

???

litter warden is a great idea - they cover their costs via mugs that drop litter.......and put other mugs off doing the same......its exactlly how fines should work.

Jerome

Littering should be a 500 quid fine, including ciggies (and I'm a smoker BTW). Chewing gum should have an extra 500 quid cleaning penalty.

Here in Toronto, littering is a $305 fine. It is also much much cleaner than London, or any other UK town or city I've been to. In some parts of the US it is a $1000 fine. Generally, the higher the fine, the cleaner the streets.

shaunywrx

That was a quote from the Moose, I'M not saying there a waste of time, i just think it was a little unfair (assuming it was a first offence and only a cigarette end) to hand out a £50 fine, when a careful explanation and discussion would no doubt have had the same effect as handing out a fine, i bet the op now has a dislike and grievance with all litter wardens, like i said previously, would they have been so quick to confront a group of drunken youths dropping beer cans, and are they on a bonus scheme, thus negating the chances of them using there discression and common sense. I also feel that if councils have the money to employ people to monitor litter, they should concentrate on people who fly tip every where costing the tax payer probably millions of pounds every year,.

RLE

iTrader: (2)

You evil son of a ...................you should be behind bars. Throw away the key. GET EM OFF THE STREETS.....Time for a witch-hunt me thinks!

Seriously though the fine will certainly make you think about doing it again. That said I think they could have "told" you to pick it up and throw it away or risk a fine. Sometimes this is enough. The embarassment of being reprimanded in public can suffice.

Scooby Soon!

I am not really sure why you have to pay this?

Surely you can just tell them to "do one" unless you walk round with your name and address written on your back. Why cant you jsut refuse to give your name and address? Thats what all the scabs would do!

hedgehog

Exactly what powers does a litter warden have to fine you, or to ask you for your name and address so that you can later be fined by a court? I know the law in Scotland is very different from everywhere else but it would be interesting to review the exact legislation that allows them to fine you or to gather the details that put them in a position to fine you. In England and Wales it is possible that all they could do, in strict legal terms, is summon a police officer who would then be in a position to request your details. Not something i have looked into in detail but it looks like they are certainly being generous in their reading of the law.

RLE

iTrader: (2)

Ah good point Scooby Soon. Time to get up there, drop a few tab ends then give out some false details. The guy with the dog which wont shut up barking next door is my first "target".

Must be contestable as you suggest.

mart360

there is an old pif public information film, which expressly advises you to make sure its out... stub it out ..

how can you be prosecuted for folwing a hmg mandate??


M

msi

Should have sent you to prison, I got fined for breathing the other day

Jap2Scrap

Was this thread about you?

We did this topic to death a few months ago

imlach

The question I would ask is :

"Will you do it again given you have now been fined?"

I know everyone thinks *** ends are biodegradeable bits of paper, but they're FAR from it. They contain plasticisers and other horrible chemicals. Birds have been known to eat them & die.

At the end of the day, would you drop a scrumpled up piece of paper on the ground (it actually is MORE biodegradable than a ***-end!!!)? I would hope not. Same goes for crisp bag/drink can/plastic bag. What makes a *** butt an "acceptable" piece of litter?

imlach

PS A parking fine in Edinburgh is £60 IIRC (£30 for prompt payment?). Seems the two are more or less related in terms of "penalty". Seems about right to me.

imlach

[Please don't think I'm trying to victimise you - it's just an interesting debate!! ]

How do you feel about dog poo on the pavement? I think the fine for this is similar as well. Yet, again, dog poo is MORE biodegradable, but it IS disgusting while it biodegrades

I imagine that if the fine was less, say £10, then it wouldn't have as much of a deterrent effect. I'd be all for it being £1000

David Lock

I'd rather tread on a *** end..........

Smoking dogs are the worst IMHO......

midget1500

i dont litter and come on, you shouldn't and the reasons are obvious. but, what if you dropped something by mistake? could they still fine you?

astraboy

So I'm correct in thinking you were smoking?
And I'm corect in thinking you had finished and threw your butt on the floor?
So then the warden made himself known to you and told you you would be fined, yes?
Why didn't you just leg it?
astraboy.

astraboy

"Yeah sorry about dropping that butt. how about I make a deal with you? you can fine me if you can catch me *VROOOOOOMMMM!!!!*"
astraboy.

Soulgirl

The littering of cigarette ends could herald the banning of smoking from my work building so as far as I'm concerned they can fine 50 smackeroonies to whomever they choose!

Smoke a *** - take the butt with you!

Jap2Scrap

To quote you from another thread.. "belligerent fvcker"

pete1977

i once got fined £70 for pissing in an alleyway when i was drunk.i still **** up alleyways when im drunk.Smokings bad for you by the way and it makes you impotent!

Soulgirl

Look, we don't really need to know what you were charged for that kind of public display... I'm sure the police would have just cautioned you LOL

jackies

Sorry must have missed this thread last year, but i only got fined on saturday, outside my work's front door. I then went back inside then two minutes later they came in and asked me to step outside. They told me that they had watched me drop it on the street and asked for my name, address and date of birth. I have 14 days to pay.
I will definately not do it again, but £20 would have made me seen the error of my ways too and lighter on the pocket!!