Bassetlaw van driver ordered to pay over £700 for hurling cigarette butt

Former company director Aaron Baker, 23, was linked with the Citroen van he was driving at the time after a member of the public witnessed him hurling the cigarette end on July 24 last year.Baker, of Retford, who had already parted ways with BW Plastering and Screeding Ltd in August 2019, admitted littering at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on January 22.He was fined £100 for littering at the junction of Kilton Hill and Blyth Road, £100 for failing to provide information to the court and ordered to pay £500 costs and a £32 victim surcharge.Bassetlaw district councillor Julie Leigh praised the member of the public who reported Baker, saying they had ‘helped to make our district a cleaner place’.She said: “This may appear to be a severe punishment for discarding a cigarette butt.“However whether it is a drinks bottle, food packaging or a cigarette that is discarded it is still littering and it all pollutes our environment, makes our streets and roadsides look untidy and is a criminal offence.“We are taking a tough approach to all enviro-crime and will not hesitate to take action when we have the necessary evidence.“I would also like to thank the member of the public who reported this to us and has helped to make our district a cleaner place.”Cigarette filters are comprised of thousands of chemical ingredients which can take decades to break down.