Dropped Pringles lid costs Bristol man almost £500

Gareth Daniel was originally fined £75 for dropping a Pringles lid on the ground

A man has been ordered to pay almost £500 in fines and costs for dropping a snack lid on the ground in Bristol.

Gareth Daniel, 31, of Humberstan Walk, was seen by a PCSO dropping a Pringles lid in Lawrence Weston, in April.

Bristol magistrates heard he failed to pay a £75 fixed penalty notice, so a final warning was sent. He was taken to court and the fine was raised to £200.

Mr Daniel must also pay costs totalling £298.75. The council said it "would not tolerate littering on any scale".

Assistant mayor for neighbourhoods, Green councillor Gus Hoyt, said he feared the story would make front page news as a "barmy council" tale.

"But the truth of the matter is no one likes people who litter and Mr Daniel was fined £75," he said.

"The council spends £14m a year on clearing all types of waste... a cost which inevitably falls to the taxpayer, most of whom haven't caused the mess."

Mr Hoyt said the community must tackle the problem of littering to "make our city a better place to live".

Magistrates set costs at £278.75 and also ordered that Mr Daniel pay a £20 victim surcharge.