Bristol woman fined £700 after discarding cigarette butt in Kingswood

Alison Godfrey was initially issued with a fixed penalty notice but failed to make any attempt to pay

A woman has been fined more than £700 after failing to pay a fixed penalty for throwing a cigarette on the ground.

Alison Godfrey, of Green Croft in Bristol, was spotted littering by council enforcement officers on Regent Street in Kingswood on 20 June 2022.

The 54-year-old was issued a £150 fine, but made no attempt to pay and the case progressed to court.

Failing to attend Bristol Magistrates' Court on Monday she was found guilty of littering in her absence.

Godfrey was ordered to pay a total of £708, which included a fine of £220, £400 in costs and a £88 victim surcharge.

'Caught in the act'

Cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, Rachael Hunt, said: "This individual was caught in the act of littering and after initially acting dismissive, eventually accepted her actions.

"However, she has made no attempt to pay the fixed penalty fine, so the matter was brought before the court."

The court was told that Godfrey had walked passed a public house and a roadside bin, before throwing the cigarette on the floor.

She made no attempt to retrieve it, before entering a nearby bank, where officers waited outside.

Failed to pay

On exiting, the officers pointed out the offence to Godfrey, who walked away without providing her details.

A short while later, officers approached and requested Godfrey's details for a second time while she was returning to a parked car.

She was issued with the fixed penalty notice, which, if paid within the first 10 days, is reduced to £75.

Subsequent checks showed Godfrey had failed to make any payment, so prosecution for the offence of littering was progressed.